BUHARI, THE APC GOVERNORS AND THE MISSING POLICY CONVERSATION
AYO OLUKOTUN
"This morning (Tuesday, June 18, 2019) Mr. President graciously granted audience to the Progressive Governors Forum. We came to congratulate him on the National Assembly Elections… We used the opportunity to thank Mr. President in all he has been doing and all successes recorded in the areas which he campaigned upon..." Atiku Bagudu, Chairman, APC Governors Forum and Kebbi State Governor, The Punch, June 19, 2019
The recent meeting between the governors of the All Progressive Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari, held at State House Abuja, the report of which is indicated in the opening quote above, was long on back slapping, victory chants and the rhetoric of applause, but short on policy conversation and regenerative ideas. This columnist understands that in the flush of the recent victory of the party at elections in both the upper and lower legislative chambers, some celebration is in order, even if the composition of the two Houses already signalled victory for the dominant party in the election of Senate President, Deputy Senate President as well as Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
One of the reasons for highlighting the meeting, held earlier this week is because a few weeks ago, the APC governors also gave Buhari an award for good governance performance among other proclaimed virtues. One would have thought that what is arguably one of the highest and most visible informal think-tanks for the administration should do more than celebrate the president and the party, in a circumstance of national unease and growing apprehension about a familiar list of governance problems.
To be sure, deferential rhetoric, obeisance and hero worship are not uncommon in our political culture. However, when Bagudu, leader of the forum told Nigerians that the administration has "recorded successes" in the areas where Buhari campaigned upon, one is bound to wonder whether deference has not graduated into the dissemination of doubtful information. The governors could still have felicitated with the president without making Nigerians doubt their capability to correctly inform him of goings on across the nation, characterised by security jitters and an economy beset by rising consumer prices and fears of economic recession, epileptic power supply among other woes.
True, the government is making efforts driven by new police initiative to reverse the tide, but it is far from the truth to suggest that the tide has been turned in favour of the safety of citizens, an easy ride economy as well as credible infrastructure. This is not to say that the possibility of writing a new page is not there, but to pretend that it has already happened is being economical with the truth, thus casting a slur on the quality of conversation among the highest organs of national policy making. Regarding security for example, may I respectfully draw governors' attention to some bits and pieces of information published in Nigerian newspapers in the last one or two weeks.
Only on Tuesday, the Catholic Arch Bishop of Kaduna Diocese Mathew Ndagoso-Manoso, revealed that a faction of Boko-haram has started providing necessary social services in parts of Borno state, because of the absence of governance in those areas. Lamented the Bishop, "something is happening right now whether the government knows or not; it is that the splinter group of the Boko-Haram is providing services to communities in Borno. They are collecting taxes because of the absence of government"(The Punch, Wednesday, June 19, 2019). It doesn't get more depressive than this, if the information supplied by the Bishop is valid. In other words, ungoverned spaces may be turning into spaces governed and administered by enemy forces, underpinning a failure of military and governance strategies. How does one take the published information that the governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Bello Matawalle has now turned to Dubai for respite from spiralling banditry within his state? However one interprets this distress call, it certainly qualifies the APC governor's excited assessment that commendable progress is being made on the security and other fronts. There is also the recent travel advisory by the U.K government that 21states in Nigeria are unsafe for travel. Notwithstanding that the advisory is denied by government, many people across the globe would base their decisions on it.
How about the economy? If the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria is to be believed, our economy remains fragile, with the GDP fickle, and below the soaring population growth. True, Buhari announced on the new inauguration date of June12, plans to lift 100,000,000 people out of poverty in ten years. But the plan remains just that until it is vigorously implemented and certainly is not yet cause for celebration. That apart, there are set backs to governance on such matters as power generation, which has experienced sharp drops in the last couple of months, in view of the perennial problems of inadequate gas supply, lack of distribution and transmission infrastructure as well as a persisting metring gap. Needless to say, that the unresolved problem will have consequences for the prospect of growth and recovery. If there was genuine conversation that can inform policy making between the governors and the president, rather than kowtowing congratulatory visit, it would have touched on this pertinent issue, so dear to human security and survival in Nigeria. Not just that, it would have allayed the fears of the citizens, proffer solutions and remedies for their perplexities, and extend the conversation to the level of what the states themselves are doing or plan to do to complement presidential drives and initiatives.
Take, for example, The War Against Corruption Buhari's flagship program. Is there not a way the states can extend the program by mounting the struggle in their own domains? Were the states to do this, the anti-corruption agenda will receive new lease of life and become genuinely national, increasing thereby the chances of success. The same kind of conversation can be extended to the issue of security. Undoubtedly, the states are handcuffed because of the federal monopoly of the instruments of violence and law enforcement. Nonetheless, as the Borno case example demonstrates, insecurity can be made worse, where governance is weak, and where huge sums are appropriated without commensurate dividends among the populace.
Don't forget that some of the states are as populous and as big as some European countries, which are among the most developed portions of the globe. So, nothing justifies the laid-back status of many of them, in the face of the country's multiplying problems. Even if it is argued that the over centralised nature of Nigerian federalism is a drag on the development of the states, should not this have provided impetus to generate fresh ideas on restructuring? How about the current discourse on upgrading the quality and credibility of our elections? Surely, the governors of the ruling APC ought to have had some thoughts on the preservation of our democracy beyond the current administration. If they did, it was not indicated in their recent visit to the seat of government.
Overall, the opportunity presented to both sides to educate the nation and present redemptive policy options to persisting deficits were not utilized, but rather side stepped in favour of an ephemeral adulation that gives the impression that they are on top of their game.
Prof. Ayo Olukotun is the Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, professorial Chair of Governance at the Dept. of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo, University, Ago-Iwoye.
