AS Archimedes, the great Greek scholar, stepped into his bathtub, he noticed a rise in the water level. It then occurred to him that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged in the water. It also dawned on him that the volume of irregular objects could be measured with precision. This was hitherto an intractable problem. Realizing what he had discovered, Archimedes leapt out of his tub, forgetting to cover his body and ran through the streets of Syracuse shouting “Eureka!” I have found it! Because of the importance of his discovery, the people looked away from his nakedness and concentrated on his message. In like manner, on Monday, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State chapter, clutching a piece of paper, literally ran unclad through the streets of Ibadan shouting “Eureka!”
When asked what they found, APC members said they had discovered that Governor Seyi Makinde “is nursing the inordinate ambition to make Oyo State a separate republic from Nigeria with a view to making himself a demi-god that would be worshipped by all and sundry.” The party also accused the governor of wanting to manipulate the disbursement of local government funds, adding that this might result in some local government chairmen ending in jail. That was meant to ignite the elected council bosses and the people against the governor but it fell flat because when the people heard what the APC had to say, they looked askance at them, hissed, moved away from the party and concentrated on their various businesses. They kept saying to one another, “How can anybody accuse Makinde of wanting to carve out another country from Nigeria? How does that make sense to anybody? These people have eventually stripped themselves naked in public glare.”
The statement issued by the APC on Monday has shown the party for what it is: petty, empty and flippant. The party’s heartache arose from the decision of the local government chairmen in Oyo State to float and register a new association. This has been misinterpreted by APC to mean a pullout from the national body, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON). But in the communiqué issued by the local government chairmen after their meeting on Saturday, there is no mention of withdrawal. What the council bosses did was to communicate their intention to form a new association, pledge their loyalty to Makinde, express their support for the democratic ideas of the local government system as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and reiterate their commitment to the delivery of real development in local councils in the overall interest of the people at the local level. For whatever reason, these have been giving APC members sleepless nights. So, what is wrong with Oyo State council bosses forming an association? The Nigeria Governors’ Forum is the umbrella body for all governors in the country. Yet, we have the Northern Governors’ Forum, Southern Governors’ Forum, South West Governors’ Forum, etc. How has the emergence of smaller governors’ groups vitiated the NGF?
The major problem of APC members is that they have scant understanding of the issue they are agonizing about. They want to give the impression that Governor Makinde is creating a problem because he exercised his freedom of expression and aired his views about the Supreme Court judgment. But that is far from the truth. The truth is that the Supreme Court judgment has created a bigger problem than the sponsors had envisaged. And this is indicative of incapacity to think through an issue. Those who wanted the judgment were so desperate that they didn’t take time to assay its consequences and come up with several scenarios before going ahead with their scheme. That is why the judgment has been difficult to implement. That is why the Federal Government still paid the last allocation from the federation account into states and local governments’ joint accounts despite the judgment. So, if anything, the APC should be flaying the Federal Government for disregarding the apex court judgment. APC should ask the Finance Minister why the last allocation was not paid directly to the councils. APC should ask the Accountant General of the Federation (ACGF) why the council funds were not paid directly to them. Instead of insinuating that council bosses in Oyo State would go to jail if they disregard the Supreme Court judgment, the APC should ask the EFCC to interrogate the ACGF on why he chose to defy the Supreme Court judgment.
The truth is that whether state governors keep mute on the matter or not, no state government has complied with the apex court judgment. I challenge the APC to controvert this by mentioning any state where the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy has been effected. Has Lagos State complied? Has Kwara? Has Kaduna, Imo, Ondo, Katsina, Borno or Ekiti? The APC’s game plan is clear; it is to cause disaffection between the people and the government. But Oyo State people can see through their deceit that is why they regard APC members with disdain. The fact is that having failed at the national level the APC is seeking relevance in the state by deploying diversionary tactics to shift attention from the major issues in the country. But the people are not deceived. APC, the real issue is not the management of local governments in Oyo State, it is the mismanagement of the economy which has made our Naira the worst performing currency in the world. Let’s talk about that. APC, the issue in the country is not Seyi Makinde, it is the inflation rate at 34.2 per cent, which has made everything, including common water, to be extremely expensive. Can we please discuss that? APC, the issue is not ALGON but the 38.8 percent poverty rate in the country. Please, let us discuss that. APC, the issue is the erratic electricity supply and the ever collapsing national grid. Can we please have a conversation on these?
The pertinent issue is the persistent fuel shortage which the country has experienced since last year despite the promise of the president that with the removal of subsidy, fuel would be available. Let’s talk about that. The issues are the high unemployment rate in the country, the unprecedented hunger in the country and the slow growth of the economy. Can we please talk about these? The issue is Nigeria’s misery index which is at 75 percent. The issue is the dwindling productivity level. The issue is the rising disenchantment of Nigerians with their country. These are the problems that stark us in the face. These are the issues that tether our nation. These are the challenges we should channel our creative energies to not issues of ALGON membership or the establishment of a phantom republic.
- Dr Olanrewaju is the Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor.
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