El Rufai has not said it, but the guess is out that a
member or two of the present leadership may end being
fingered if el Rufai gives further details on the
"distinguished racketeers."
There are those who are already suggesting that el
Rufai is not doing any one's biding but is involved in
an intricate web to protect himself from a damning
report before the Upper House that he flouted federal
financial regulations on how he has run the finances
of the lucrative Ministry of Federal Capital
Territory. The idea is to basically, fire the first
salvo so that when the report comes out, Nigerians
will naturally accuse the Senators of trying to get
back at el Rufai for turning on the light when the
residents of the glass house were undressing.
It doesn't matter that the Report of the Senate
Committee on Public Accounts had been ready for some
time and has been kept under locks awaiting the
arrival of Senators from recess this week. In this
politics of integrity, it appears that el Rufai will
always be a step ahead of the 109 Senators.
At the Federal House of Representatives, it was a
battle of wits as State Governments and Local Councils
tackled each other over the Joint State and Local
Government Accounts. Understandably, the Councils want
to be freed from the Account because of known cases of
abuse by the State Governors but the States would have
none of this.
It appears that the Federal Government has backed the
Local Governments on this because it had always been
at the receiving end of complaints by the Councils
that funds meant for them are not released as and when
due or the States simply spend the funds on behalf of
the Councils.
Also in the House last week, the boss of the Bureau of
Public Enterprises, Dr. Julius Bala confirmed that the
liability of the National Fertiliser Company of
Nigeria (NAFCON) to its workers is a whopping N9.6
billion even though that at least six world class
companies have been pre-qualified to buy into the
dying company as core investors.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC) which has often acted true to its
mandate as a semi autonomous organ of government in
the manner it challenges other agencies of government
to do the right things appears to be suffering the
pangs of lack of adequate funding. It brought its case
to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu
Bello Masari, who, not knowing the quiet conspiracy
against the Commission, redirected it to the Federal
Minister of Finance to make an application for
virement which the National Assembly will give
favourable hearing.
Of the N200 million, the RMAFC sought for its
expenditure this year, it got only a N30
million to do its job. It was a clear way of telling
the organisation that it could continue to speak
against the actions of government and not expect to be
adequately refreshed.
There have been whispers from sources within the
organisation that it was being deliberately crippled
by some government officials because it has chosen to
toe the path of honour in the execution of its job.
Last week, the Upper House of the National Assembly
was a bee-hive of activities, though on recess,
following the appearance of Nigeria's newest kid on
the reform block, Professor Charles Soludo, at a
session with the Senate Committee on Banking,
Insurance and Financial Institutions. After the
session with Soludo, the Central Bank team and the
Committee agreed to give journalists a white-washed
version of what transpired. As part of the deal, the
Chairman of the Senate Committee was to address the
press. The journalists would have none of it and piled
pressure on Soludo to speak. He dithered but finally
spoke. He clearly made it known that the CBN was not
going to change its mind but he was fair enough to
state that the members of the Committee agreed with
the CBN there was need to strengthen commercial banks.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Zik Ambuno Sunday,
who spoke later confessed that Soludo meant well in
his reforms. When the story hit the papers the next
day, Sunday's Vice Chairman, Senator Farouk Bello, who
was conveniently absent the previous day was around
with him to correct the impression that the Senate
Committee endorsed Soludo's position. Both men
insisted that the Committee had not taken a position.
The Senate Chief Whip, Senator Victor Oyofo, who
should have pleaded for caution in the manner Senators
were showing vested interest in the raging debate worsened
matters when he endorsed the CBN position.
Senator Bello fired back that he neither had the
authourity to speak on the issue nor was he a member
of the Senate Committee. The whole drama of the absurd
is expected to become more interesting as more Senators
with vested interests in banking resume this Tuesday.
