The federal government has responded to the statement attributed to Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, featured on a national newspaper’s front page. The government acknowledged that the contents of the statement were not unexpected, but it deemed it necessary to clarify certain aspects to foster a more informed public dialogue.
In an official statement, Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, emphasized that Governor Obaseki has recently shifted his attention to address the nation’s economic challenges as a way to divert attention from his subpar performance at the state level following his transition to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
While acknowledging that divergent opinions are natural among leaders, Idris stressed the importance of grounding criticism in reality and basing discussions on concrete outcomes. He noted that Governor Obaseki’s remarks concerning decisions made by the APC-led federal government regarding fuel subsidy and foreign exchange market reforms might have overlooked the broader economic context.
Idris pointed out that numerous sources, including Nigerian citizens, state governors across party lines, as well as international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, along with various economic experts, have consistently advocated for the elimination of fuel subsidy due to the fiscal distortions and economic burden it has imposed on the nation.
He said “This burden includes many months of zero accretion to the Federation account by the NNPC which left states and local governments with less money from FAAC, as a result of payment for fuel subsidy, which the national oil company regularly charged to the Federation account.
“For perspective, Edo State, under Governor Obaseki’s leadership, has notably benefited from the fuel subsidy removal, which is evident in the more than doubling of the FAAC allocation between June and July 2023 to Edo State – more than it had ever received pre-fuel subsidy removal.
“Our advice? Rather than delving into narratives that do not provide the complete picture, the focus should be on how the Edo State Government will be using available resources to drive impactful projects that genuinely uplift the people of Edo State.
“Nationally, decisions led by President Tinubu are based on foresight, with the primary aim of engineering a resilient and sustainable economy. This vision is consistently echoed within the National Economic Council, where significant economic decisions are made.
“We want to clearly state that Edo State, alongside other 35 States plus FCT, can access more FAAC revenue, due only to the bold and courageous economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu since he assumed office.
“These decisions have been applauded across the globe because they are the decisions that needed to be taken to reposition the national economy for better output.
“We are still at a loss on what could be the trigger for Governor Obaseki to issue such blatantly false accusations against the Federal Government”.
In accordance with constitutional norms, the minister highlighted that Governor Obaseki holds membership in the National Economic Council (NEC), a forum where crucial decisions are reached on the matters he addressed in his recent media statement. These deliberations are conducted alongside his colleagues while convening with the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
The minister underscored that Governor Obaseki, being a part of the NEC, is accountable to his constituents for his absence during the two NEC sessions within the present administration. Additionally, it was noted that the governor’s fellow NEC members lauded President Tinubu for his bold step in eliminating the burden of fuel subsidy, a long-standing issue that adversely impacted the financial health of the three tiers of government.
Idris emphasized that Governor Obaseki’s active participation in these meetings would be constructive, as it could provide valuable insights and align with the overarching collective vision.
“At the last NEC meeting which took place last week, the council took far-reaching decisions on many interventions to help households, contrary to the wrong impression being created by Governor Obaseki.
“One of the decisions was an approval for the immediate disbursement of N5 billion to each of the states to procure food items for onward distribution to families, while the states are working to clean up the social registers for cash transfers that will benefit up to 20 million of the most vulnerable Nigerians.
“The NEC also constituted a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage with the Labour Unions and the general upward review of salary for public sector workers as part of plans to address the rising cost of living and help working people to maintain a decent living standard.
“This is apart from ongoing plans to provide 11,500 CNG-powered mass transit vehicles for affordable public transportation, supply of fertilizers to farmers, and support for farmers to cultivate 500,000 hectares of arable land to plant staple crops for consumption and industrial use,” he said.
The minister said the federal government understands the current difficulties Nigerians are facing and is working very hard with the state and local governments to bring succor to the people.
While stating that President Tinubu is guiding the country through very challenging times, he said “We are supremely confident that we will soon turn the corner into a prosperous future.
“What is required at this time is for leaders at all levels to cooperatively bind together to make life better for Nigerians, not to play cheap politics that serves no better purpose.
“As President Tinubu has admonished, the time for politics and politicking is over. We are now in the season of the serious business of governance to build a stronger, more viable, socially cohesive, and more prosperous Nigeria,” he added.
