By Chukwumah Umeorah
As rising cost of living and biting food crisis spark protests in some states and fuel tension across the country, a renowned economist and public policy analyst, Prof. Tela Aderibigbe, has offered insight on how to overcome the challenges occasioned by the removal of petroleum subsidy.
The don who spoke on the sidelines of the annual colloquium of the Centre for Democracy and Human rights Africa, in Lagos, said some state governors posed grave setbacks to the loft policies of President Bola Tinubu.
He posited that while more money had accrued to state governments following the subsidy removal, the increased financial inflow has not been reflected in the welfare of the citizens at the grassroots.
“The states and the governors are the ultimate beneficiaries of President Tinubu’s fiscal reforms. While the state coffers swell with increased federal allocations since the removal of the fuel subsidy, the benefits scarcely trickle down to the needy masses.”
According to him, some governors of the 36 states of the federation, and not President Tinubu, should be held responsible for the ugly development.
He argued that agriculture policies and initiatives are better initiated and implemented at the state and not federal levels.
“Yet the governors will wait until the Federal Government flags up this season or that season before they give farmers in their state necessary inputs.
“This situation poses a significant challenge to President Tinubu’s efforts to reform Nigeria’s fiscal landscape.”
He argued that actions of some of the governors not only sabotage the president’s initiatives but also betray a lack of commitment to the principles of good governance and public accountability.
Lamenting a stark example of misaligned priorities, Prof. Aderibigbe cited the activities in Kwara State, where Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazak is reportedly investing a humongous N17.8 billion in renovating a state-owned hotel, amid widespread poverty and economic hardship facing the residents of the state.
“For example, the Kwara governor has started a renovation project in his state that’s worth N17.8 billion. Is that supposed to be the priority of the people or the governor is spending it the way he likes because there’s a windfall from Abuja?”
Prof. Aderibigbe also lamented the plight of local government councils, which remain financially constrained and unable to effectively serve their communities.
“Despite the reforms aimed at enhancing fiscal federalism and autonomy, local councils are still being stifled, unable to break free from the financial dominance of state governments,” he declared.