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| This sacred demand of ours is further necessitated by shocking discoveries we made in the course of our recent investigations on the finances of the States in Nigeria; whereby most of the States were found enmeshed in serial borrowings and other indebtedness. Public financial records of the affected States as it concerns local borrowings were also found roguish and distorted. Many of the States under reference were found owing their retired and serving workforces billions of naira. Bauchi State, for instance, owes its workforce about N11billion. |
Out-going
Governors & Democratic
Accountability In Nigeria: Time For
Stock Taking (Democracy & Good Governance, Onitsha
Nigeria, 28th April 2015)
The 2015
General Elections with their
supplementary segments; involving one Presidential, 29 Gubernatorial, 109
Senatorial, 360 House of Reps and 1,152 State Legislative polls, have come and
gone. What lies on the table of the out-going governors and the Presidency is democratic
accountability and stock taking. On 19th April 2015, we (International Society for Civil Liberties
& the Rule of Law) issued a public statement titled: “Revisiting
& Institutionalizing Obinomics Governance Approach As A Standard Benchmark
For New Governors In Nigeria”. The
Obinomics remains an indisputable standard of measurement for public
governance accountability in Nigeria. It involves the beginning and end of a
democratic governance process.
How Obinomics
Statement Unsettled Corrupt & Failed Governors: The referenced statement not only received wide readership within
and outside Nigeria, but it also received gloomy ovations from the loyalists of
some, if not many gubernatorial office holders in the country who saw it as an
attempt to ridicule their bosses and incite the public against them. The
jittery disposition of the referenced gubernatorial aides and their bosses’
camps is not unexpected. This is more so
when public governance in Nigeria is largely dominated by psychology of politics
(use of public sentiments and social anomalies to gain power for the purpose of
running deceitful, deficit and mercantilist governance).
Governance Disasters In The Fourth Democratic
Republic: The 1999 return to civilian rule in
Nigeria saw military apologists, military retirees and white collar criminals
including drug barons and couriers moving in droves, hijacking most of the country’s
13,483 elective public offices comprising 11, 788 LGA chairmen, deputies and
councilors (8,692 councilors and 3,096 executive chairmen, deputy chairmen,
etc) of the country’s constitutionally recognized 774 Local Government Areas
(LGAs); 72 State governors and their deputies, 360 Federal Reps, 109 Senators,
1, 152 State lawmakers and the President and the Vice President.
The elected public office holders under
reference also ensured that their likes dominated the country’s 4,070 top
public appointive offices. For records, there are a total of 17, 500 top
elective and appointive public offices
in Nigeria recognized in the Salaries & Allowances for Top Public
Office Holders’ Act of Nigeria 2002 as amended. The top public offices
comprise 472 federal executives, 172 federal top judicial officers, 109
senators, 360 federal House members, the President and the Vice President, 36
State Governors, 36 State Deputy Governors, 1, 152 State lawmakers, 2, 664 State
executives and 762 State top judicial officers.
The inglorious
entrance of the referenced military apologists, military retirees and white
collar criminals as well as their appointed puppets into Nigeria’s hallowed
public governance offices brought to bear the era of disastrous governance in
Nigeria’s Fourth Democratic Republic. A disastrous legacy of electoral banditry
and rigging, judicial corruption, State sponsored violence, governance thievery
and civil unrest was put in place leading to public governance being left in
the hands of criminals and renegades. While the criminal class took the center
stage in governance, the noble class stayed away for fear of contamination and
violence against their persons.
As a result, public governance in the country
became shapeless and directionless. Service to humanity became replaced by
consumption and profligacy. Attempts by few members of the noble class to make
an inroad into democratic governance were crudely resisted by the criminal
class who also visited the former with death and threats of unimaginable
proportions.
Obinomics As Standard Of Governance Accountability Measurement: One of the few exceptions to
the democratic governance disasters in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic was the Obinomics
governance concept in Anambra State. For records, Obinomics is a totality
of democratic governance style used in Anambra State under former Governor
Peter Obi between March 17, 2006 and March 17, 2014. It has electoral,
judicial, social and economic elements and founded on input and output legitimacies.
In other words, it is a democratic government that has beginning and an end. It
fought enemies of democracy not through the Yorean eye for eye, but
through political civility, tolerance, accountability, creativity and decency.
It met the State in a state of barrenness, parasitism, mal-administration and
fiscal deficit and left it in a state of self-sustenance and buoyancy as well as
governance integrity and credit. It ended with a world class scorecard and stewardship
contained in a 500-page book.
Governance or
democratic accountability or stewardship is a leadership stock taking
containing the true state of governance in the executive arm of government
usually laid before the public documentarily towards the end of tenure. It
involves quantum of services to humanity or fulfillment of social contract
obligations delivered to the public by those elected to serve. There are credit
and deficit democratic accountabilities or stewardships. Governors who
run status
quo or establishment governance are usually credited with deficit
governance accountability whereas governors that run extra
establishment or creative/innovative governance always produce credit
or positive governance or democratic accountability.
The governance
stewardship under reference is such that contains exploits or otherwise made in
education, physical and key infrastructures, environment, health, transport,
tangible and intangible security, entertainment, human rights, rule of law, job
creation, private sector, investments,
economy, etc. It also involves governance costs, financial receipts,
loans borrowed or credits received, cleared or un-cleared workers welfare
arrears, total unpaid or paid domestic and foreign loans, reasons behind the borrowings, contractors’ arrears on
completed jobs as well as cash or otherwise left in government coffers.
What Out-going Governors & Ors Must Do: In the light of the foregoing, therefore, we challenge all the
out-going governors in Nigeria to be excellent enough to prepare and
present their accounts of stewardship to their States and the generality of
Nigerians before their official handover on 29th May 2015. The
affected governors are those completing their eight years in office and those
who lost their second tenures. Failure of the affected governors in whole or in
part to heed to this democratic clarion call simply means that they are
bequeathing a disastrous legacy of governmental banditry and kleptomania to
their various States and the citizens of Nigeria. Because anything that has a
beginning must have an end, the
affected governors are inexcusably tasked to give their governance a direction
and a destination by articulating for public reading, consumption and judgment
as well as for eternal records how they governed their States.
By Social
Contract principles, the governors under reference are obligated to
govern and render public account of their leaderships. By Section 13 of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, under Fundamental
Objectives & Directive Principles of State Policy, it commands all
authorities in Nigeria including the in-coming and out-going governors as
follows: “it shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government, and
of all authorities and persons, exercising legislative, executive and judicial
powers, to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of this Chapter of the
Constitution”.
The Chapter
Two of the Constitution under reference is Nigeria’s version of Social
Contract obligations for all its elected public office holders
including the in-coming and out-going governors. This sacred demand of ours is
also extended to the out-going President and headships of the National Assembly
and the State Houses of Assembly. The N250M & N150M quarterly allocations
to the Senate President and the House of Reps Speaker in the form of overheads
should be publicly accounted for; likewise all constituency projects funds of
the 469 federal lawmakers and the 1,152 State lawmakers.
At the
Presidency, Nigerians must publicly be put in the know of its stewardship. In
2007, for instance, the Yar’Adua/Jonathan presidency inherited $15.5 billion
cumulative debts comprising foreign debts of $3.5 billion and local debts of
N1.8 trillion or about $12 billion (N150.00 per US$); today, it is bequeathing
to Nigeria and Nigerians a whopping sum of $55.5 billion according to its
official records; showing that it has borrowed over $40 billion since then.
Nigerians collectively demand to know how the earth-shaking loans were spent
and conditions for their borrowing as well as the totality of its governance
accountability.
Roguish Finances Of Various States: This sacred demand of ours is further necessitated by shocking discoveries
we made in the course of our recent investigations on the finances of the
States in Nigeria; whereby most of the States were found enmeshed in serial
borrowings and other indebtedness. Public financial records of the affected
States as it concerns local borrowings were also found roguish and distorted.
Many of the States under reference were found owing their retired and serving
workforces billions of naira. Bauchi State, for instance, owes its workforce
about N11billion. For governors
completing their eight years tenures, they are found in Lagos, Rivers, Cross
Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Niger, Benue, Plateau, Kano,
Kaduna, Adamawa, etc. For single term governors, they are found in those States
won by the former federal opposition party.
Lagos State As A Case Study: In Lagos State, out-going Governor Babatunde Fashola who prides
himself as Mr. Clean Governor should clearly come clean publicly by
rendering his stewardship of the State he ran for eight years. Apart from
public knowledge of the fact that his State is the most indebted State in
Nigeria with official local and foreign debts of over N512 billion or about $2.6
billion (N200.00 per US$) comprising local debts of N278.8 billion (DMO
December 2013) and foreign debts of $1. 169 billion or N234 billion (DMO
December 2014); he should tell Lagosians and Nigerians where the heavy loans
were channeled into and what necessitated the huge loans in view of the fact
that his State generates average of N22 billion monthly and N270-N300 billion
yearly from its internally generated revenues excluding its huge federal
allocations with annual average of N100 billion as well as other statutory non
loan earnings.
The out-going
Governor under reference also owes Lagosians and Nigerians an explanation as it
concerns the monthly wage bill of the State and the state of public
infrastructures and social services in the State. He has to come clean publicly
by disclosing in an excellent manner the true picture of the State’s local debts
stocks. This is in view of the fact that they have not been updated by the
Debts Management Office (DMO) since January 2014; a period of 11/4 years.
Out-going Governor Babatunde Fashola’s account
of stewardship under firm demand of ours should be excellent enough to
answer the following noble questions: How much does Lagos State actually owe in
debts locally? Is
Lagos State the best State in Nigeria in terms of provision and maintenance of key
public infrastructures? Does
the State parade the best medical facilities and personnel in the country? What
about the costs of medical treatment and public education in the State? Through
its Independent Power Project, is it the best State in Nigeria in terms of
electro-density? How many children are children of the street and children in
the street in Lagos State? What about
its housing scheme and how many citizens still sleep under the bridges in the
State? In whose possession are public properties in Lagos? Are they in public
hands or hands of thieving individuals and entities? What is the state of road
network and its maintenance in the State? Is Lagos State Africa’s ocean of
poverty or richness? What exactly is the monthly wage bill of Lagos State? Is
the cash left in the State coffers, if any, greater or less than its total
debts? How much is the State’s liquid investments, if any, within and outside
the State?
Governor
Babatunde Fashola as a lawyer was appointed into the government of Mr. Ahmed
Bola Tinubu in 2002 and he was reported to have to gone to the Alahausa
Government House for his SA appointment with a 200 Mercedes Flat Booth car and
a Sagem Mobile phone. If this is true as once revealed by the Afenifere
Socio-cultural group per Mr. Yinka Odumakin; Governor Fashola owes Nigerians a
duty and should come clearly clean publicly by disclosing his current assets
and liabilities visa viz his actual worth in 2002. Other out-going governors
and presidency under reference should also do same.
Rivers State As Another Case In Point: In Rivers State, out-going Governor Rotimi Amechi, who ran the State
for eight years on account of judicial coronation; owes the people of Rivers
State and Nigerians detailed account of his stewardship, which must include his
personal worth in 2007 and his present assets and liabilities. He should also
be excellent
enough to let Nigerians know how much his administration borrowed internally
and for what projects. The State is presently credited by DMO with official
debts of N138.3 billion comprising foreign debts of $44.7 million or N8.8
billion and local debts of N129.5 billion (DMO 2014 &2013).
In view of the fact that Rivers State is the
richest oil State in Nigeria receiving about N20billion monthly from its
preferential oil earnings excluding other statutory earnings, it saddens our
heart as why the State enmeshed in serial borrowings. Independent sources have
also continuously maintained that the State cumulatively owes over N200 billion
in debts.
This position is further sustained by the fact
that its local debts profile has not been updated by the Debts Management
Office since January 2014; a period of 11/4 years. Out-going Governor Amechi is called upon to
be excellent
enough by telling the people of Rivers State and Nigerians the true state
of domestic loans profile of his State in terms of actual amounts owed.
Abia State & Ors: In Abia State, out-going Governor Theodore Orji should come clearly
clean as well. He once alleged that former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu left the
State in debts of over N29 billion. In view of this, our question to the out-going
Governor is “how much did his administration borrow internally and how much was his
State owing before he became the governor from the EFCC interface room?
Our demand for democratic accountability
in Abia State also stems from the sorry state of public services and
infrastructures in the State particularly in Umuahia and Aba. Presently, Abia
rivals none as Nigeria’s newest Ghetto State.
The sacred
demand of ours also goes to out-going Governors Martin Elechi of Ebonyi,
Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Goodswill Akpabio of
Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Liyel Imoke of Cross River
State, Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, Jona Jang of Plateau State, Rabiu Musa
Kwakwanso of Kano State, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State as well as other
second and single terms governors. The States of the out-going Governors
mentioned above presently owe a total of N699.1 billion in local and foreign
debts according to the official records of the Debts Management Office (DMO).
Finally, as the
official handover of the baton of democratic power to the new set of crookedly
or popularly elected office holders remains one month or thirty days from
today, we call on all citizens of conscience and democratic consciousness to
join hands in demanding from their out-going elected officers mandatory accounts
of their stewardship clearly shown how they developed or under-developed
the States and the country entrusted in their hands in the past eight or four
democratic years. This is the only way the country and its citizens can advance
democratically and socio-economically.
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi, B.Sc. (Hons), Criminology &
Security Studies
Board Chairman, International Society for Civil
Liberties & the Rule of Law
+2348174090052
Uzochukwu Oguejiofor-Nwonu Esq., (LLB, BL), Head,
Campaign & Publicity Department
Chiugo Onwuatuegwu Esq., (LLB, BL), Head, Democracy
& Good Governance Program
Obianuju Igboeli Esq., (LLB, BL), Head, Civil
Liberties & Rule of Law Program
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