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Obasanjo’s Anger Against Governors By Calix Agwu
Since President Olusegun Obasanjo turned his anti-corruption searchlight in the direction of state governors, some Nigerians have been wondering what his motives are. Some who cannot fathom for themselves the reasons why, have tried to manufacture all sorts of motives to explain the new focus in the president’s crusade.
Some have said, it is all part of Obasanjo’s plot to fulfil his alleged third term plot. They say he has turned against governors because he wants to cow them and whip them into line to endorse his ambition to continue in office beyond 2007. Some have also said, his renewed war against corruption is specifically targeted at those governors that are in vice – president Atiku’s camp. But any one who is objective enough cannot fail to see why Obasanjo should be angry with the governors. It is common knowledge that rather than govern their people with integrity and providing the people with basic amenities, most of our governors steal a large chunk of their people’s money and hide in foreign banks.
It is a scandal to note that there is one governor in the north central zone who has not successfully executed any significant project worthy of inviting the president to commission, yet, the man has been in the gubernatorial chair these past seven years. Between 1999 and now, there is hardly any governor who has not received up to about 50 billon naira allocation from the federation account the case of governors in the Niger Delta region is particularly scandalous. Some of them have so far received up to $100 billion from the federal coffers. Yet, one goes to a place like Yenogoa in Bayelsa State or Uyo in Akwa-Ibom state, there is nothing to see for this monumental money windfall.
The stories you hear is about how each of the governors is competing to see who has more money salted abroad or which one has the most gigantic project abroad. Stories abound of a governor who has an elitist hospital in South Africa; of another who has a functioning petroleum refinery in a Caribbean island nation; of another who has a 25-storey building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia; of another who has a real estate in New York and of another who has more than 25 palatial buildings in Abuja. By virtue of his office, Obasanjo is aware of all these things. He also has intelligence report about the governors’ worth in liquid cash. He knows about the governors much more than we know them. And these facts pain him. And why he should be angry is because the people are in most cases blaming the governors’ uncaring attitude to the welfare of their people on him. It has become a standard practice in Nigeria that once something goes wrong in a local government or state; the people blame it on Obasanjo. If a Local Government Chairman or a State Governor fails to tar one street or provide a borehole, people cry to Obasanjo. If some of the governors have done for their people one third of what Obasanjo has done for Nigeria as a whole these past seven years, the cry of Nigerians will not be as strident as it is now.
If the governors have failed and the blame is on Obasanjo, it is only fair and logical that Obasanjo must assume responsibility and address the source of his problem. Apart from mindlessly stealing the people’s money, some have driven their political rivals out of their states. Some have completely emasculated legislators in their states houses assembly. In some of the states, the governor’s word is law. Those who are not thieves or dictatorial, are wayward. There is one in the south west region who is notorious for carrying “heavy-duty women”. It is indeed very appropriate that Obasanjo has given notice that he cannot put up with their behaviour any more. It is for the good of Nigeria that the president has sounded a note of warning that “power pass power”.
Since the impeachment of the Bayelsa and Oyo State governors, no governor will be as reckless as before. Stealing among the governors will reduce. Those who carry on as if they are elected monarchs will pipe low. It is simply not right that we should have elected governors who behave worse than unelected military governors. The governors were behaving like countries without sheriffs. Obasanjo has made it very clear now that a sheriff is now in town. Who of the governors will dare him? Let any one stand up to be counted.
Calix Agwu Lecturer, College Of Education Obudu, Cross River State.
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