Northern Governors’ Misapplication of N8.3 Trillion - Editorial

LONG used to blaming inequitable revenue distribution from the centre for their woes, Northern governors must now think up fresh excuses to justify their gross underperformance following a recent news report, which revealed that lack of resources may not have been the real problem after all. The report, a compilation of records of revenue allocation over a period of 11 years by a Northern-based daily, revealed that, though the revenue sharing formula of the federation may not have been skewed to the advantage of the North, that region got enough to have turned around the fortunes of its citizens.

Citing documents from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, the report showed how about N8.3 trillion flowed into the coffers of the 19 northern state governments and 413 local governments from the collective purse between 1999 and 2010. But looking through the vast territory of the North, there is very little on the ground to justify the collection of such an amount.

The report, at a glance, showed that, within the period under reference, the northern states got N4 trillion out of a total of N10.7 trillion available for sharing among all the states, just as the sum of N4.2 trillion out of the N7.5 trillion due to local governments across the country also went to the North. Evidently, at the state level, the South got N2.7 trillion more than the North, which, in turn, got N900 billion higher at the local government level.

What, on the face value, looks like a lopsided allocation of resources comes from adding the 13 per cent derivation of the oil producing states to the total revenues that went to the Niger Delta area, while, at the local government level, the North got more because it has 413 out of the 774 local government areas in the entire federation. But, it should also be pointed out that, just as their northern counterparts, many of the southern states did not benefit from the extra revenue that went to the oil producing states as only nine states qualify for that.

What is so blatantly clear, however, is the abysmal failure of the northern political leadership to deploy their resources judiciously to raise the quality of life of their people. Despite earning so much over the years, poverty has, inexplicably, remained pervasive and endemic in the region. Recent figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that the poorest states in the country are in the North. Sokoto State, with 81 per cent poverty rate, topped the list last year, followed by Katsina, with 74.5 per cent. While Adamawa and Gombe had 74.2 per cent each, Jigawa and Plateau also shared a similar rate of 74.1 per cent each.

Figures for the previous years were even worse, with the poverty rate in Sokoto standing at 86.4 per cent in 2010 and Adamawa posting 95 per cent rate in 2004. The only bright spot in the North was Niger State with 33.8 per cent poverty rate last year, which also was the lowest nationwide.

The northern parts of the country generally occupy the bottom rung in practically all the human development indices. The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Lamido Sanusi, never fails to remind the world about the region’s backwardness. He was once quoted as saying, “The North is very poor and backward.” But, like the governors, he blames it on everyone else except the ruling elite of the North. The culprit is either the lopsided revenue sharing formula, especially the 13 per cent derivation, or the perceived “marginalisation” of the region by the Federal Government.

But the question that should not go unaddressed is, what happened to the North’s N8.3 trillion? Some former governors have tried to justify expenditures during their tenure, while others have denied outright, getting anything close to what they have been credited with. Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the Kaduna State governor from 1999 to 2007, for instance, said he used his allocation judiciously to build the Kawo overhead bridge, open up new layouts and restore peace amidst booming commercial activities. “We can’t put price to that (peace)…,” he was quoted as saying. But opposition politicians believe the allocations to the North were either largely misapplied or stolen. According to human rights activist, Shehu Sani, “Half of the money was stolen by the governors, 30 per cent of it was shared to traditional rulers, clerics and marabouts, political cronies and sycophants. Only 20 per cent of it was used for the common people.”

What the governors, however, failed to own up to was their undue sponsorship of religious activities, especially spending of billions of naira to sponsor people on pilgrimages, and their security vote, which Rabiu Kwankwaso, Governor of Kano State, described as a smokescreen for stealing public funds, building of palaces and buying of expensive cars for traditional rulers. For instance, the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, last year outlined plans to build 186 palaces for district heads in the state, while Katsina State reportedly donated N60 million for the building of a Government House for Niamey Region in Niger Republic. Similarly, the Niger State Government last year unveiled plans to spend N2.4 billion to build worship centres in the state. These are examples of how not to spend public funds.

Niger State has shown clearly that one does not need to be an oil producing state to run government efficiently. The same goes for states in the South that have no oil revenue. This is what the northern states should do. Rather than begrudge oil producing states for the 13 per derivation, northern governors must reorder their priorities and create jobs for the teeming jobless. There must be massive education to reduce the number of child beggars (almajiri) on the streets; it has been confirmed that there is a link between poverty and lack of education. Mass education will also reduce drastically the number of idle hands available for recruitment into terrorism.

Since business can only grow in an atmosphere of peace, Northern governors must curb the festering of religious intolerance, which has sent many businesses packing from the North. If government money is used for the promotion of development and provision of infrastructure, the level of poverty will certainly reduce, not only in the North but in the entire country.

Besides, the people must learn to hold the government to account, since it has shown an abysmal lack of understanding of what governance is all about. The only way to get good governance is to demand it.