Obasanjo To Nigerians: Is This Government Working?
FORMER president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, dissected the state
of socio-economic affairs of the country, especially the initiatives of
the current administration, and returned a verdict of doubt. His words:
“The problem today is that it is doubtful if the current administrative
system is imbued with right mix of skills and values to successfully
implement a well-articulated programme of change.”
He also averred that the country was on its way to another debt burden
unless the rising debts were creatively addressed.
Obasanjo, who recalled how he led Nigeria to exit the Paris Club and how
he pursued public service reforms, regretted that the gains he made had
been reversed.
The former president made the remarks at the conference of Ibadan School
of Government and Public Policy, ISGPP, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The former President stressed the need for government to kick out all
forms of corruption in the polity, provide jobs for unemployed youths and
be committed to change.
Looming debt overhang
Noting that the conference was timely as the country was in search of new
ways of doing things, given the crisis of governance that now manifests
in vigorous ways, Obasanjo said: “The drastic fall in the price of oil in
the international market has unravelled the weakness of governance in
Nigeria. “The Minister of Finance has recently announced that the 2016
Budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the
draft document before the National Assembly, to N3 trillion due to
decline in the price of crude oil.
“If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed, Nigeria may
be on its way to another episode of debt overhang, which may not be good
for the country. It will be recalled that a few years ago, we rescued
Nigeria from its creditors with the deal in which the Paris Club of
sovereign creditors wrote off USD 18 billion of debt, Africa's largest
debt cancellation.
“Nigeria then used windfall earnings from oil exports to pay off another
USD 12 billion in debts and arrears.
Is govt working?
“On the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, the hope that followed the initiative
of the New Partnership for Africa Development, NEPAD, and African
renaissance initiatives are being threatened by developments in the global
economy and governance.
“Falling commodity prices have put pressures on local currencies, and if
caution is not taken, may lead to mounting debts. It is, indeed, proper
for us in Nigeria to ask the questions: Is the government working? Is
government positioned to deal with challenges arising from these new
developments?
“These questions are made apposite by the massive scale of poverty and
unemployment, the decay in infrastructure facilities, the impoverished
living standards of citizens with regard to food, housing, water supply,
education and healthcare which have deepened in recent years.
“This is complicated by the protracted experience of violence and
brutality, the flow of internally displaced persons, IDPs, arising from
the Boko Haram insurgency in large parts of North-Eastern Nigeria where
many citizens have become distressed, live in fear and insecurity.”
Systemic failure
He continued: “Recent developments in governance show the failure of
systems, the disregard for institutional processes and the general
decline of institutions that used to function to guarantee reasonable
service delivery to citizens.
“When I assumed office in 1999, though I had some sense that the
bureaucracy of government that I left in 1979 had experienced significant
decline, I only appreciated the extent of this decline after the Dr
Christopher Kolade Panel that I set up submitted its report.
“I implemented remedial measures and a reorientation programme coordinated
by Professor Adebayo Adedeji. I got the Management Service Office to
undertake and evolve a National Strategy for Public Service Reform. The
reform process commenced in 2003 and by 2007, significant progress had
been made.
“Unfortunately, the evidence available today shows that those gains have
been reversed. The problem today is that it is doubtful if the current
administrative system is imbued with right mix of skills and values to
successfully implement a well-articulated programme of change.”
We must fight all forms of graft
Recalling that during his tenure, he identified corruption as the
greatest single bane of our society and as one of the worst legacies of
misrule and bad governance, a reason his administration set up the ICPC
and the EFCC to tackle it, Obasanjo lamented that things had taken a turn
for the worse.
“Today, corruption drains billions of dollars from our economy that cannot
afford to lose even a million dollars. It seems we are just beginning the
fight against corruption afresh.
“Until recently, it seems corruption had returned with a vengeance, taking
seat at the very heart of government. I reiterate my statement in October
last year during the 55th anniversary of Nigeria's independence that
'corruption must not have a resting place within our society; we must kick
corruption out because it destroys almost everything and I am not talking
about corruption of money; corruption of attitude, nepotism, favouritism,
they are corruption in different forms and all aspects of corruption must
be kicked out of our society.”
Leadership must be committed to change
“Now, given these governance challenges and our experience with reform, it
is clear that change doesn't just happen, there must be a basis for
change. Leadership has to be committed to change. Beginning with the
reality of the budget, there is need for sober reflection. Rebuilding the
foundations of governance involved paying attention to values, principles
and practices that promote hard work, innovation and sacrifice.
“Leaders who call for sacrifice from the citizenry cannot be living in
obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the
economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in
government and deal with our peace and security challenges. We must
address the issue of employment for our teeming population, particularly
for our youths.
“Leadership must mentor the young and provide them with hope about their
future as part of a process of inter-generational conversation.”
Lambasts govs over LG funds
…Anyaoku wants six geo-political zones made federating units
The former president also lambasted some state governors who he said had
turned themselves to emperors in their various states, mismanaging funds
meant for local councils.
Lamenting the pitiable conditions of teeming masses in the councils, he
said: “Is there any development going on in the 774 constitutionally
recognised local government councils?
“Now, we have a situation where some governors have become sole
administrators, acting like emperors. These governors have rendered public
institutions irrelevant and useless in the manner they starve local
governments their legitimate funds from the federation account.
“When governors take their money, the chairmen of councils take the
balance of the money and put it on the table and share it out among the
council members. In some states, governors have hijacked the resources of
local governments and expended them to serve their whims and caprices
instead of using these resources to galvanise growth and development”.
Chief Obasanjo who later visited the Olubadan- designate, High Chief Saliu
Adetunji in his residence, spoke extensively as the chairman of the
occasion.
Chief Emeka Anyaoku, a former Commonwealth Secretary-General expressed
disapproval over the lopsided federal structure and situation in which
many of the states are hovering on the brink of bankruptcy.
Anyaoku said: “Instead of the structure of 36 unhealthy states the country
currently has, the National Assembly should convert the six geo-political
zones to federating unit while the 36 states remain administrative units.”
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