Obaseki attacks Tinubu administration, says information minister

To deflect attention away from his subpar performance in Edo, Governor Obaseki attacks the Tinubu government, according to the information minister.

The Nigerian government has criticised Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, claiming that he is criticising President Bola Tinubu’s economic decisions and actions regarding the elimination of fuel subsidies and the reform of the foreign exchange market in order to divert public attention from his alleged subpar performance in his state.

In a statement issued by the federal government and signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris, Governor Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), an opposition party, was warned that the election process is over and that he should act with more statesmanlike behaviour.

In order to have a more informed public discourse, the minister, who pointed out that the federal government’s response was based on a statement attributed to Obaseki and published by ThisDay Newspaper on Thursday, said it was critical to clarify some narratives.

“The statement attributed to Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, which was used as the lead front page story in ThisDay Newspaper of today (Thursday, August 24, 2023) did not come as a surprise to anyone,” Idris said. For a more informed public discourse, it is necessary to make clear some narratives, though.

“Since joining the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Obaseki’s poor performance at the state level has come to light. He has done this by focusing on the nation’s economic problems as cannon fodder. Despite the fact that leaders frequently hold opposing viewpoints, it’s important to ground discussion in reality and on observable outcomes.

“Governor Obaseki’s remarks regarding the Federal Government’s choices regarding fuel subsidies and reforms to the foreign exchange market may have neglected the bigger picture of the economy.

“It is well known that Nigerians, State Governors from all political stripes, and international organizations—such as the World Bank and IMF—along with a variety of economic experts, have consistently argued for the elimination of fuel subsidies due to the fiscal distortions and burden they have caused on the economy.

“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 context, it should be noted that Edo State, led by Governor Obaseki, has significantly benefited from the removal of fuel subsidies. This is demonstrated by the more than doubling of Edo State’s FAAC allocation between June and July 2023, compared to what it had previously received.

‘Our suggestion? The emphasis should be on how the Edo State Government will use available resources to drive impactful projects that genuinely uplift the people of Edo State rather than diving into narratives that do not give the full picture.

“President Tinubu’s policies at the national level are based on foresight, with the main objective of creating a robust and sustainable economy. Where important economic decisions are made, the National Economic Council, this vision is frequently echoed.

We want to make it very clear that President Bola Tinubu’s bold and courageous economic decisions made since taking office are the only reason Edo State, along with the other 35 States and the FCT, can access more FAAC revenue.

Because they were the ones that had to be made to reposition the country’s economy for greater output, these decisions have received praise from all over the world. We still don’t know what might have caused Governor Obaseki to level such flagrantly false accusations against the Federal Government.

“Constitutionally, Governor Obaseki is a member of the National Economic Council (NEC), where important decisions on the issues he discussed in his media address were made by his colleagues while they were seated in council with the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.

“Even though Governor Obaseki will have an explanation to give the people of his state for why he missed the two NEC meetings held during the current administration, we would like to let him know that his colleagues praised President Tinubu for having the guts to get rid of the ghost of fuel subsidies, which had for years crippled the finances of the three tiers of government. To contribute ideas and support the group’s vision, Governor Obaseki’s attendance at these meetings would be beneficial.

“Contrary to the false impression being spread by Governor Obaseki, at the most recent NEC meeting, which was held last week, the council made broad decisions on many interventions to help households.

“One of the decisions approved the immediate distribution of N5 billion to each of the states to purchase food items for later distribution to families, while the states work to clean up the social registers in preparation for cash transfers that will benefit up to 20 million of Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens.

In order to address the rising cost of living and support working people in maintaining a decent standard of living, the NEC also established a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage with labour unions and the general upward review of salaries for public sector workers.

This is in addition to ongoing initiatives to provide 11,500 CNG-powered mass transit vehicles for accessible public transportation, fertiliser supplies to farmers, and assistance to farmers in their efforts to cultivate 500,000 hectares of arable land to plant staple crops for human consumption and industrial use.

“The Federal Government recognises the current challenges Nigerians are dealing with and is working very hard with the states and local governments to provide assistance to our people. Through extremely difficult times, President Tinubu is leading our nation.

“We have absolute faith that we will soon turn the corner and enter a prosperous future. At this point, it is more important than ever for leaders at all levels to work together cooperatively to improve the lives of Nigerians, rather than engaging in pointless political games.

President Tinubu has warned that the time for politics and politicking is over. In order to create a stronger, more viable, socially cohesive, and more prosperous Nigeria, we are now in the serious business of governance.