Chicken coming home to roost?
by
How come that a local government will have a zero financial allocation from a Federal Government? How come a State Government made up of constituent local governments become a lender to a local government? This happens to be the paradox of the Nigerian brand of Federalism, courtesy of the Nigerian military; courtesy of the 1999 (military) constitution. For those who do not know, Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Republic hails from Abeokuta, specifically(?) from Owu where he has his family seat. But he has claims to Gbagura where he holds traditional titles - one of which is Oluwo.
Both Owu and Gbagura, however, are grouped in the same local government - Abeokuta North Local Government.
But Moroof Ajisegiri, the Chairman of the Local government, is currently shedding tears; not crocodile tears for what ought to be but is not. He is accusing the President of the Republic of sabotaging his (local government) administration. And he thinks Segun Obasanjo is doing it deliberately to foster his (President’s) fortune in the 2003 election.
Like Zebrudiah would say: Fa - fa- foul! Moroof was shedding tears because his local government had zero (N0.00) allocation in March. Moroof is laying his blame in the wrong quarters.
While I cannot vouch the democratic spirit of Segun Obasanjo’s administration, I think the blame lies elsewhere. In the letter and spirit of the Abacha constitution which the North (or most part of it) insists on having; which the entire South rejects. The North accepts it with all the obvious and proven imperfections since the imperfections were deliberately inserted to foster the Northern political and economic subjugation of the other parts.
Am I happy that the chicken is coming home to roost afterall? You bet I am. Haven’t I watched with amusement certain shenanigans of our so-called local government chairmen? They feel ever so invincible that they had the temerity to found a country-wide body called ALGON - Association of Local Government Chairmen. If you don’t find any of them in the office, don’t look far, just go to their popular address: NICON Noga or Sheraton, Abuja.
Deliberately, the local governments were created to spite the State Governments, they were not created with the interest of the people in mind but with the sole purpose of balkanising the States.
The honeymoon for them ended since heat was applied to the Federal Government on Resource Control. Patronage has ceased and now reality stares the local governments in the face. Some are clearly not viable, otherwise they do not need to give a yell when largesse does not come from Father Christmas in Abuja who dishes out other people’s wealth as his own.
There are many local governments like Abeokuta North; many are subsisting courtesy of a warped allocation formula that thrives on some high falutin criteria. In a true Federation, the Central Government does not and cannot decree local government into existence. It cannot even decree into being States. But in our unique system we play God that all things - including the ludicrous are possible.
When we, the people, have sat down and talked about our state, we would have to decide what to create and what not to create and the fortune of some nine-day wonder states and local government will definitely be part of that decision.
I have no consolation for Moroof; I appreciate the gesture of the Alarogun, Governor of Ogun State, in extending life-buoys to serve Abeokuta North. But Ogun State definitely has limited resources and countless priority programmes. I won’t be surprised if the State Government complains of fatigue in a matter of months if the situation continues. That will be the ultimate state of all phantom local governments.
Two governors have recently warned aloud that they would not accept to be dropped again at the deep end of the cesspool.
Segun Osoba, Ogun Governor and Bola Tinubu of Lagos have served notice that they would not be part of a deal negotiated with any worker behind their back.
The Federal Government had promised to adjust workers’ salaries by an automatic 25% this year. It (Federal Government) is also negotiating with ASUU on its demands.
Not many centuries ago, the Americans set a standard of decorum for responsible governance. They caused commotion in Boston because an absentee parliament levied them and they were not represented in the one that sealed their fate. So, the Boston Tea Party came unto our political science lexicon.
I would not blame them. Most state governments are still smarting under the imposition of wages they could ill-afford. They have found that they are paying out a large proportion of their revenue in salaries to a negligible minority and other aspects of governance are suffering.
Segun Osoba made two points: he has no business with Oshiomhole but with Ogun State NLC. He is a visitor to Ogun State University and the Federal Government would not be the one to negotiate for Ogun with their (Ogun) lecturers.
Bola Tinubu made the points first that Federal Government had no mandate to negotiate for the states. That clarification would not have been necessary if the Federal Government has not been putting its nose in other states’ affairs.
Talking at a round table over our binding documents (the Constitution) will surely eliminate these misunderstandings and skirmishes.