FEDERAL MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & NATIONAL ORIENTATION

PRESS STATEMENT

PDP GOVERNORS PLAYING TO THE GALLERY; OWE NIGERIANS AN ACCOUNT OF INCREASED ALLOCATIONS

Governors elected on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) platform met yesterday in Abuja and addressed a press conference, where their Chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed, read out their position on the country's economic and security situation.

We welcome their call for a bipartisan approach to solving our nation’s economic and security problems.

As critical stakeholders and leaders at the sub-national level, the PDP governors certainly have the right to state their position on national concerns as is expected.

However, as leaders in the country who are members of two important constitutional organs of government - the National Economic Council, which is the highest economic management organ of the country, and the National Council of States, we believe the PDP governors did not conduct themselves in a manner befitting their roles as leaders.

It is far-fetched when PDP governors, who are supposed to be major players in driving economic growth and prosperity for our citizens in their respective states, mischievously and falsely compare our current economic challenges to Venezuela.

We want to state categorically that though our country is going through some rough patches, which are being addressed by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our situation is nowhere near what is happening in Venezuela.

The Nigerian economy is still very strong and is expected to record a 3% GDP growth this year. The economy is meeting financial obligations to lenders at home and abroad.

The Nigerian government is running effectively, and our government can pay all its bills while maintaining a healthy trade balance with trading partners worldwide.

While opposition politicians are expected to play politics, it should be done within the bounds of truth and fidelity to facts. It is unconscionable of PDP Governors to manipulate facts and misinform Nigerians about our country's true state of affairs.

Since President Tinubu assumed office, the revenue available to the three tiers of government has more than doubled. All 36 States, including the 774 Local Governments, have been receiving significantly larger allocations on the back of the reforms being pursued by President Tinubu to reposition our national economy.

Nigerians should ask PDP Governors how far and how well they have utilised the increased revenue to better the lives of Nigerians in their respective states.

It is on record that most States controlled by PDP owe workers and pensioners months of unpaid salary and pension arrears. The PDP Governors have defaulted in paying gratuities to their retired workers. It is also a fact that many of the PDP Governors have not paid N30,000 minimum wage to their workers since it took effect more than 4 years ago. All of these anomalies in their states contribute significantly to the economic pressure their citizens face.

If PDP governors are genuinely interested in the living conditions of Nigerians and are not just stirring up disaffection and ill-will towards the federal government, we urge them to meet their obligations to workers, pensioners, and local contractors and see the multiplier effect.

It is disappointing that PDP Governors talk about rising costs of living and food when they have not done much to increase food production in their States. The land in Nigeria belongs to the States, not the Federal Government.

PDP Governors, in their communique yesterday, did not tell Nigerians how they are supporting farmers in their states to boost food production - a responsibility that is strictly within their purview. Instead, they shift all the blame to the Federal Government, while shirking their own responsibilities to the people they govern.

The All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Tinubu is working assiduously to address the current challenges. The President is working with his security chiefs to eliminate all security threats wherever they exist within our borders, and we are getting results in the number of terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers that have either been killed or arrested in the past few weeks. The success of the efforts is also reflected in the over 700 abducted Nigerians who have been rescued from captivity.

The Central Bank is addressing the problem of volatility in the exchange rate, and we are beginning to see stability that will eventually lead to the naira gaining its actual value against the dollar and other convertible currencies.

We urge the PDP Governors to join their colleagues in the Nigerian Governors Forum, who are collaborating with President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to revamp our economy for Nigerians' collective well-being.

@HMMohammedIdris
Minister of Information & National Orientation
February 13, 2024

yarimo:
All PDP governors and that of the labour party Alex otti are all thief claiming saint

yarimo:
All PDP governors and that of the labour party Alex otti are all thief claiming saint

ivolt:
This childish question of "what did you do with your allocation" has been overused.
If you believed money has been mismanaged, all you need do is
check the state's budget for verification and put forward your findings.

FourQu:


The fact that you do not think or care if monies have even mismanaged or not is truly sickening

Forget about the rest of your post, I'm just focused on the first paragraph alone.

Paraman:
Some of the statement by the minister was unnecessary, especially the part he asked what the governor's are doing with their allocation.

The governor's can't achieve meaningful things because of the high inflation, everything has gotten more expensive.

9jatriot:
When it is time to share allocation, states get 52% and FG gets 48%, but when it is time to blame, certain stages get 0% blame while FG gets all the blame.

If the states are to be absorbed of all their failures, then maybe they should also be forfeiting their allocations to the FG since an increase in allocation is instead been used to purchase dollars and put pressure on the existing pressure on the USD since they do not seem to care about their citizens.

mrvitalis:

Federal gets 52 % states gets less than 28% the rest goes to LGA

yarimo:
All PDP governors and that of the labour party Alex otti are all thieves claiming saint

mrvitalis:

Federal gets 52 % states gets less than 28% the rest goes to LGA

successmatters:
Which increased allocation when inflation has finished the money?

LegendHero:


How many state get LG autonomy?

90% of the money to most LG are siphoned by the governor with the exception of some states like Lagos and Kaduna.

Hopium:


Joe Ajaero dey voice say dem wan run am street.

Nigerians are only ready for the betterment of the country when they start pressuring their governors to be transparent and accountable. The governors receive massive security votes from the FG, even more during this current administration, after the subsidy removal. But everyone would rather face the FG while forgetting their shares from the usual fuel subsidy are now in the hands of their state governors.

For context, Tinubu government now pays 2-3 times more FAAC to the state and local governments compared to previous administrations. The increments are yields from the subsidy removal. So, why tf can't state governments increase their minimum wages?

How can we have 36 states and only 2-3 are working? Lol. Since everyone has the liberty to run to Lagos to hustle the daily bread, let's keep deceiving ourselves.

Gosh! We are only smart on paper!

seguno2:


How is Tinubu’s Lagos an exception when its 20 LGAs are not employing workers to maintain tarred feeder roads, refuse handling, free primary schools etc?

Are you sure you know what you’re talking about

LegendHero:

LG chairmen in Lagos have more project than Peter Obi.

If they don’t have autonomy, they won’t be able to achieve that. What LG chairman build in Lagos is more than what some state governors are doing.