The Democratic Front (TDF), a pro-democracy group, is perturbed about the standoffish posturing of State governors as they seem to be idly looking away not complementing the efforts the Federal government is taking to alleviate the effect of the global costs of living as affecting Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo,the group which described the response of the State governors as lukewarm, questioned why many of them stand aloof as if they are not concerned with the turn of events despite tons of money being allocated to them monthly.
We also wonder why Nigerians are not feeling the impact of what President Bola Tinubu sends to the states for the benefit of the people of their different domains, the group said.
The group pointed to the prompt release of N570 billion by President Bola Tinubu, among other interventions over the clamour of hunger as a potent short-term response to the current high cost of living in Nigeria
“We acknowledge the President’s action as a continuation of his efforts to proffer viable solutions, in the short, medium and long term, towards ameliorating the effects of fuel subsidy removal. But where are the governors in all of these?
“Other initiatives include the disbursement of nano funds to small businesses, the suspension of import duties on food and pharmaceutical items, conditional fund transfers to three million households as well as the distribution of 20 trucks load of rice to all each states of the federation. We only saw the rice distribution to the masses in only one state. What’s going on? The group queried.
Turning to other interventions by the President, TDF listed the recent directive to sell crude oil to Dangote and other local refineries in Naira, which it describes as a subsidy on its own. It is targeted at bringing down costs of living in the shortest possible time.
“It is public knowledge that the TDF has repeatedly criticised the lackluster attitude of sub-national governments to complementing the developmental efforts of the Federal Government but we won’t relent in calling on them to also play their own part.
“For us, the cluster of far reaching interventions and actions by the administration of President Tinubu in the last one year would have impacted more positively on Nigerians, if states and Local Governments had complimented the President’s gestures timeously and prudently.
“We want to emphatically state that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended) did not give the Federal Government powers to oversight or supervise the activities of subnational governments
“We are, however, not happy that policies and interventions by President Tinubu to assuage current hardship, mostly channelled through the state governments, did not reach the intended beneficiaries at the grassroots. This perhaps explains why some uninformed masses were deceived to join the needless and unwarranted protest against the president.
“We are aware that N570bn was released to all 36 states by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the immediate socio-economic needs of Nigerians since December 2023, but many people just got to know because the states were silent about it.
“We equally acknowledge that at no time in recent history was so much money and efforts committed to cushioning the biting effects of economic hardship on Nigerians, like it was done in the last one year by the Tinubu administration.”
TDF also reeled out recent federal government’s efforts and wondered what states have done in the last one year of improved allocations.
“Massive investments in Railways, Coastal Superhighways, CNG Vehicles and technologies, Digital Economy through the 3MTT program, Agricultural Mechanization and production, Student Loans, and the unprecedented Fiscal Autonomy for the 774 Local Governments, are revolutionary strides that will permanently eradicate poverty in the country. And set Nigerians on the path of prosperity and economic abundance.
“The challenges of a symbiotic working relationship between the Federal Government and the Sub-National governments largely accounted for the inability of Nigerians to access and benefit from the multiple Federal Government economic interventions that were intentionally meant to cushion the painful effects of economic reforms.
“Regardless of our understanding on why President Tinubu channeled his multiple interventions through the state governments, we want to admonish the administration to see the recent protest as a clarion call to devise its own channels to directly reach the teeming populace with future economic aids and support, without involving the sub-national governments.
“We believe that this innovation will help people access direct federal government interventions with ease, and also, it will encourage the states to deploy their own interventions from the funds allocated to them by FAAC.”