Why govt released Ebonyi funds, by Obasanjo
Assembly gets bill on council creation
From Madu Onuorah and John-Abba Ogbodo, Abuja
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday offered an insight into why the Federal Government released previously withheld funds for local councils in Ebonyi State.
The President disclosed that the release was prompted by Ebonyi's compliance with a requirement that it should cancel the councils that were "erroneously" created.
Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Akin Olujinmi (SAN) disclosed yesterday that the Federal Government was planning a bill to empower states to create new councils without recourse to the National Assembly.
Obasanjo explained the frontline role played by Ebonyi State in his quest to be President in 1999.
The President also gave Aviation Minister, Alhaji Yisa Yuguda one week to effect an immediate change of the name of Enugu Airport to Dr. Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
Explaining how Ebonyi got its withheld local council allocation released, he said: "Ebonyi made a right about turn. When they did, another governor came to me when he heard their allocation has been released. He went home and also made a right about turn."
Obasanjo told a delegation of Ebonyi Leaders of Thought led by Governor Sam Egwu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that the least the nation could do for Ibiam was to name the airport in his memory.
Ibiam was the former governor of old Eastern Region in the first Republic. The President described the late Ibiam as a patriotic and detribalized Nigerian who devoted his entire life to the service of the country.
He said: "One thing that was clear about people like Dr. Ibiam, Chief S. O. Adebo and Sir Kassim Ibrahim was that they were great Nigerian leaders whose advice was devoid of personal interests and I cherish them. Honouring the memory of Dr. Akanu Ibiam is something he richly deserved and we couldn't have done any better than that or even doing more."
He recalled that as a military Head of State, the late Ibiam was one of those Nigerians he consulted most often and whose advice he cherished much because they gave without any personal consideration.
The President stated that after leaving office, the late elder statesman was one of those he routinely consulted on issues of national importance because of his respect for him.
Obasanjo also praised Ebonyi State for blazing the trail in breaking "the shackles of ethnic politics" when in 1999, the state supported his candidacy against former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme.
The support for his candidacy, he recalled, began in Abakaliki at the initial process of his 1999 presidential bid.
Said the President: "If we hadn't had your support, it would have been a different story. When I came out, a green horn (in partisan politics) into the political scene of Nigeria; from the wilderness of prison, the question was Obasanjo who While we were not so sure, particularly in the South-East, I visited Abakaliki. The governor and the leaders of the state stuck out their necks and said, 'we are supporting you'.
"Maybe, you do not know what that meant in two respects. One, you have an Igbo distinguished man who had also indicated his interest at that particular time and for you to publicly indicate that in spite of that, that single acceptance started the breaking of the shackle of ethnic politics in Nigeria and that shackle is now almost completely broken. If anything can be credited to this administration, Ebonyi government and people can claim they want a share of it, if we haven't had your support, it would have been a different story."
The spokesman for the delegation, Chief Martins Elechi, had earlier informed President Obasanjo that they were paying the solidarity visit to show appreciation to him "for the things you have done, not only for the people of Ebonyi but for all Nigerians."
Olujinmi spoke yesterday at the National Assembly in Abuja during an interview with reporters.
The minister who was at the National Assembly to defend the Executive bill seeking to "prescribe the Basis for Allocation of Revenue standing to the credit of local councils and area councils in the federation," also hinted that the revenue sharing formula as it is related to the Federation Account would be altered.
Olujinmi said following the unending controversy over the issue of creation of local councils, the Federal Government set up a committee, which recommended that states should be given powers to create local councils without necessarily resorting to the National Assembly.
He said as a result, the Federal Government was working on a bill, which would be presented soon to the National Assembly.
"What I said relates to Section 7 of the Constitution which gives power to the states to create local governments. Now, you have a provision in Section 8 of the constitution to the effect that when the states have new local governments, they should bring an account of it to the national level for the National Assembly to complete the exercise of creation of local governments. Because of this problem here and there, argument today, argument tomorrow, we now say, okay, even the governors themselves want it. They said give to us powers to create local governments without having anything to do with the National Assembly and we said okay. A committee was set up to look into this and the recommendation is that states shall have power to create local governments without having to refer the exercise to the National Assembly any more. Now, that is yet to come up. A bill has to come to the National Assembly for that purpose. That bill is being worked upon now," he disclosed.
The minister further said the bill, when passed, would allow states to create as many local governments as they want but that the councils, under the new dispensation would cease to benefit from the Federation Account.
The Federation Account, he added, would be shared between states and the Federal Government.
His words: "When that happens, what we are saying is that once you leave to the states absolutely, the power to create local governments, if you like, create a hundred; if you like, create a thousand local governments. It is you who will find money to run those local governments. The question of sharing revenue will now be between the Federal Government and the state governments. So, whatever you now share out of the Federation Account, you can use it the way you like to run the many local governments you create for your states."
Asked how soon the bill would be sent to the National Assembly, he said "very soon".
The Federal Government and some states that created local governments have been engaged in a controversy leading to the withholding of the allocations to the states. Some have had to revert to the old order while others are in court with the Federal Government.
