The most powerful weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed, says the revolutionary Steve Biko. Once your oppressor or exploiter succeeds in controlling how you reason and react to issues, then you’ve gained direct access to servitude.
Well, supporting or praising a political office holder is part of the political game, especially when they are doing things that are good for the public, but defending them when they are wrong is a tremendous disservice to the public and posterity. Sometimes, maintaining silence instead of defending treacherous actions could be a vital sign of sanity; many hallelujah boys always miss on this.
I will use my local government, Surulere LG, as a point of analysis in this epistle. It is in the public domain that the federal government allocates about N300 million monthly to the local government, but I could remember Makinde saying he gives LG Chairmen just N10 million each month. This implies that the state government spends approximately 98% of the funds on initiatives that primarily do not directly affect the Surulere people.
Let’s just assume that Makinde has used 5 years in office, that is 60 months. Let’s also assume that Surulere LG receives about N250 million of the approximately N11 billion that enters LG accounts from FG each month. This implies that by the end of the year, Surulere LG should have received about N3 billion in Naira.
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Let’s take the calculation further. This is 5 years already in office; N3 billion per year would be N15 billion in 5 years. That is not a small amount of money! Away from the State and Federal Government, such a huge amount is enough to change the narrative of grassroots development, from Oko through Arolu to Iresa and then to Gambari.
With N300 million in Surulere every month, let’s assume 1000 students from the local government are in higher institutions. If the LG decides to support them with a stipend of N10,000 in a month, that means the LG is spending just N10 million out of N300 million. This would lift burdens on our fathers and mothers, who are mostly farmers, and also encourage education in our local communities.
There are many other things that 5 to 10 million can do to better the lives of people in Surulere. More importantly, let’s look at the 4th Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Part 1(f) specifies some functions, including the construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lighting, drains, and other public highways. With the N300 allocation monthly, Iresa-Pupa to Oko Road, Iresaadu to Gambari Road, and some other roads within the LG could be as motorable as Asokoro or Maitama Road in Abuja.
Agriculture being the major work of our people, Part 2(b) of the Schedule empowered the LG to take action on it. The LG has the ability to assist our farmers in various ways, invest in farming to increase revenue, and manage acres of uncultivated land. With a monthly budget of N300 million, we can effectively accomplish tasks, including creating job opportunities for our youth and boosting revenue for the LG.
However, as of today, approximately N15 billion has been lost, and we are unable to identify any significant effects in Surulere, despite the money having been transferred to the Federal Government on behalf of the Surulere people.
A few months into the office, I traveled home from Abuja to witness what I thought might be the beginning of Governor Seyi Makinde’s laudable intervention in my local government. Governor Seyi Makinde arrived to revive the languishing mango processing company in Oko Town, leaving us all filled with joy at the recognition of our communities. It has been five years since Mr. Governor received about N15 billion of our allocation, but the project remains in a state of dormancy.
Let me clarify: our forefathers, who crafted the constitution and included provisions for a State LG Joint Account, knew exactly what they were doing. We adopted the joint account for two reasons: first, to ensure the state government’s contribution to the FG-allocated fund, thereby boosting the LG allocation. Secondly, the state is responsible for monitoring and supervising the implementation of various policies and projects to prevent corruption and mismanagement at the local level.
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However, our voracious governors saw it as an opportunity to shortchange the masses.
That other governors in Nigeria are mismanaging the LG fund, or that past governors in Oyo State have also mismanaged, does not mean we should continue to follow that dishonorable path. Tinubu’s genius in this matter as a former governor knows that removing the governor’s hand from the money is like putting a gun in their head, but even if there should be a constitution amendment, the judgment of the Supreme Court is a doctrine of necessity, and everyone should be compelled to follow suit.
Before you defend Seyi Makinde, let’s jointly seek answers to these questions: Will Makinde be okay if FG decides to be doing to Oyo State what he’s doing to the LG? Why is Makinde denying LG direct access to their fund? What has Makinde done for Surulere people with about N15 billion allocated to them since more than 5 years ago?.
On a final note, the task of development is not on FG alone; the state, LG, and individuals would always have roles to play. You know your LG better than I do, take my template and look around to see what N300 million monthly could do for your people. Let’s start with LG financial autonomy; the ball is in our court.
Ogunwoye Samson Gbemiga,
Iresa-Pupa, Ogbomoso.
Writes from the United Kingdom.
ogunwoyesamson@gmail.com
