State Legislatures Will Approve Share of ECA Withdrawal, Says Masari
• Insists NGF decision was unanimous
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By Bolaji Adebiyi and Ibrahim Shuaib in Katsina
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States’ share of the controversial $1 billion approved for withdrawal from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the National Economic Council (NEC) will be appropriated by the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states of the federation before its eventual release, Katsina State governor, Aminu Masari, has said.
Masari, who spoke to THISDAY on Saturday night in Katsina, also clarified that the huge sum was approved to improve the operational capability of the military to fight the insurgency in the North-east, insisting that contrary to the claims of some of his colleagues from the South, the decision was unanimously made when the matter was discussed at both the NGF and the NEC.
Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, had announced at the end of the monthly NEC meeting, penultimate week, that the 36 state governors of the federation had approved for withdrawal from the ECA, $1 billion to assist the federal government fight the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.
But the decision was immediately controverted by some governors, including Ekiti State’s Ayodele Fayose and some critics who contended that it would be unconstitutional and unlawful except the money was duly appropriated for that purpose by the National Assembly and the state assemblies.
Last week, the National Assembly joined the fray, contending that due process of appropriation would have to be followed before the funds could be withdrawn, even though the Senate adjourned debate on the matter until its resumption from the Christmas break.
But Masari told THISDAY that the controversy was unnecessary since there was a clear intention to send the decision to the various state legislatures for approval before the funds could be withdrawn and expended.
“We had no intention of bypassing due process as there was a clear understanding that each state’s share of the funds would have to be approved by its House of Assembly,†he said, reminding Nigerians that this was not the first time that states and the federal government would be collaborating to sponsor a project directly from the ECA.
He referred to the funding of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) under the Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration, which required each state legislature to approve its share of funding of the project from the ECA.
On the argument that the states could not appropriate the funds in isolation of local governments, Masari said: “We spoke on behalf of our states and local governments,†assuring that “we the governors through our Houses of Assembly will make whatever documentation as required available… and we believe our local governments will also make whatever documentation is required availableâ€.
Against this background, the governor said the National Assembly’s query of the $1 billion would have to be restricted to the federal government’s share of it, as the federal legislature cannot legislate for the states.
“So, the National Assembly should be talking about that percentage of the $1 billion that belongs to the federal government; they shouldn’t be talking about what belongs to states and local governments,†he stated.
Explaining the circumstances of the decision, Masari corroborated the claim of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that it arose from national security stakeholders’ grave concerns over the appalling state of equipment of the military in particular, and the security architecture of the country in general.
According to him, “We had interactions with various stakeholders in the security sector of the country and the governors of what we can call frontline governors. We have them in the North-east and we have them in the South-south, who are directly being affected by the insurgency and criminality, respectively.
“And we know that the budgetary provision is not enough to cater for a military that was neglected for a very long period. There was the suspicion that the Armed Forces were not equipped so that they wouldn’t stage a coup.
“Under the civilian administration (Fourth Republic) when we came in the reorganisation started. If you can remember, President Olusegun Obasanjo had to purge any officer that had tasted political power all in an effort to bring back the Armed Forces to their traditional role.
“Then came the communal clashes immediately after taking over in 1999 – the Kaduna crisis, religious and tribal crises that over stretched the police and members of the Armed Forces. And came the big one – the crisis in the North-east and the crisis in the Niger Delta that required the military, the Armed Forces, to be fully equipped and to be trained.Â
“We realised that unless you train somebody to deal with today’s and tomorrow’s problem, he would not be able to deal with it with the knowledge of 20 years ago. He will not succeed because training is key, to bringing members of the Armed Forces to date in confronting today’s problems.
“How would you ever imagine that a local Fulani man will be carrying AK 47 instead of carrying an ordinary stick? Times have changed, so we need members of our Armed Forces also to be properly equipped and trained.
“And we know through the budgetary provision which is all known to everybody that cannot be achieved in good time.â€
He said reports from the frontline governors were frightening enough for the other governors to think of enhancing the equipment of the Armed Forces, kit them adequately, and take care of their welfare.
Masari said the decision to excise the fund from the ECA to equip the military was understood by his colleagues to be in the national security interest, hence the unanimity with which it was made at both the NGF and the NEC.
According to him, “Any governor who says he did not agree, is playing to the gallery. When we discussed it at the governors’ forum there was no dissension. And when it was discussed at NEC there was no dissension.â€
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