As Governors Boycott NEC Over Okonjo-Iweala. Last Thursday’s National Economic Council (NEC) meeting was attended mostly by deputy governors, with only a handful of governors in attendance. GEORGE AGBA reports that the faceoff between the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) faction led by Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi and the other faction led by Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang over the former’s call for the resignation of finance minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala may have caused disaffection to the extent of compelling the governors to avoid each other at the council meeting. Only about six governors attended the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting last Thursday, while most of them were represented by their deputies. Although it has always been acceptable norm that deputy governors stand in for the governors at the council meeting, this particular one for the month of September did not seem like the normal representation by deputies of their absentee bosses who probably may have inevitably been engaged in other matters of state. It is a fact that since it came into being, last Thursday’s NEC meeting is among those that have recorded such poor turnout of governors, with a good number of deputy governors in attendance at Aso Rock presidential villa. The President is Chairman of NEC and is always represented at meetings by the Vice President. Other members are each of the 36 state governors including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Attorney General of the Federation, Ministers of Finance and National Planning, Central Bank Governor, Chief Economic Adviser to the President, and Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission. But the only Governors who attended last Thursday’s NEC were Peter Obi (Anambra), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti). Wamakko and Fayemi left immediately after President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the council of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). Some close watchers have linked this development to the demand for the resignation of Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala over poor handling of the nation’s economy by the faction of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) led by Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi last Tuesday night in Abuja. The 16 governors at the meeting asked the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to either improve her management of the nation’s economy according to the provisions of the Appropriation Act 2013 or resign from her position. They said her non- compliance with the revenue projection of the 2013 budget was a direct breach of the Appropriation Act 2013. “The non compliance with the revenue projections of the Federal Government of Nigeria 2013 Budget is a direct breach of the provisions of the Appropriation Act 2013. Members expressed concern in the management of the economy by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and called for a strict adherence to the Appropriation Act 2013, failing which she should resign. Forum observed that National Economic Council (NEC) is constitutionally responsible for the management of the economy and should be used for that purpose as opposed to the Economic Management Team (EMT) constituted by the Presidency”, the factional NGF chairman, Amaechi had stated. Although some other keen observers have argued that the call for Okonjo-Iweala’s resignation wouldn’t have resulted in such low turnout of governors at NEC meeting. The thinking is that even most governors loyal to the faction chaired by Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang did not attend the meeting. Apart from Imoke, Obi, Dankwambo and Yero, all other pro-Jang governors were represented by their deputies. But the proponents of the idea that the governors may have shunned the council meeting because of the coordinating minister of the economy who was present at the meeting of the highest economic policy making body in the country insist still that the pro-Jang governors may have gotten a tip of the planned boycott of the pro-Amaechi governors from the meeting and decided to send their deputies too in other to make everything look like a broad-spectrum absence of the governors from the meeting. But the deeper crisis dimension which the face- off between the governors and the finance minister assumed on the eve of the NEC meeting is still a pointer that disaffection for the coordinating minister for the economy may have kept the governors away from the meeting which she as NEC member also attended. Okonjo- Iweala, last Wednesday dismissed calls for her resignation by members of the Amaechi-led NGF. Addressing a press conference in Abuja, She defied the governors, saying she was going nowhere. “I dey kampe”, the minister said, even as she maintained that as a minister working under President Goodluck Jonathan, she would prefer to ensure that the economy was prudently managed rather than discussing political issues. Okonjo-Iweala said, “I am not here to address those kinds of issues; you know I am Minister of Finance for the country. I am working with President Goodluck Jonathan and I will just do my job. This (press briefing) is not to address any issue, all of you know that from time to time I have this kind of press conference and I share with you what is happening in the economy and that is what am doing. I am not answering to that (call for her resignation) and as you see me here, do I look any close to resignation? I dey kampe. I don’t want to talk about political issues here”. Compounding the crisis, the other faction of the NGF led by the Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang filed behind Okonjo-Iweala against the Amaechi led NGF. It condemned the call for the resignation of the minister by the Amaechi-led governors. In a statement issued by the media office of the faction, Jang queried the competence of the Amaechi-led NGF to demand for Okonjo- Iweala’s resignation with just only 16 governors in its fold at the meeting where the resolution was made. Jang argued that the resolution was of no moment, as majority of the governors were not present at the meeting where it was taken. Jang wondered whether Amaechi and his loyalists were living in Nigeria where he said both local and international experts had been pouring encomiums on the minister “for the job she is doing with the ever growing Nigerian economy”. Also, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State single handedly took on the Amaechi-led NGF. That same Wednesday being the next day after the 16 governors descended on Okonjo- Iweala, Uduaghan accused his colleagues on the other divide of lacking adequate knowledge about the economy and revenue generation. At a press conference in Lagos, he said, “There was call by some of my colleagues for the resignation of the Minister of Finance which I don’t think is a way forward and not in order. Oil production is at the quantity we budgeted, so where is the money? But Nig erian National Petroleum Corporation is still telling us that they don’t have enough money. So, who is responsible? Let the NNPC tell Nigerians what is going wrong with the production”. The next day after the verbal exchange over the call for minister’s resignation, only about six governors turned out for NEC meeting. Some of them may have been too angry to afford to meet and confront their opposing colleagues eye ball to eye ball at NEC, which was the first platform to bring all of them together. So, they stayed away and sent their deputies to represent them. This is despite the fact that very crucial issues were addressed in the meeting. It was in last week NEC meeting that the president presented certificates of contribution to federal, state and local governments on the sovereign wealth fund. Also the sum of N15 billion for provision of equipment and logistics that will help security operatives fight oil thieves operating in the oil producing region was announced at this all important NEC meeting. The fund is to be provided through a tripartite arrangement involving, federal and state governments and international oil companies. At the commencement of council meeting last week, Vice President Sambo presented the certificates to the federal government which was collected by Okonjo-Iweala. Those of the states and local governments were collected by state governors. But it was the deputy governors who were present to collect the certificates on behalf of the governors. Highlighting the importance of the certificates, Sambo said, “Sovereign Wealth Fund all over the world has been instrumental for the instrument for fiscal discipline and development of the countries in which they exist. Our collective furnishing of the fund is re- enforced by the presentation of certificates of contribution for federal, state and local government and I urge all Nigerians to and officials at all levels of government to give their full support to the NSIA to ensure that the objectives are speedily realized for the benefit of all Nigerians. Leadership.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:11:06 +0000
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