Fix Financial Leakages, Leave Governor Obaseki Alone, PDP Slams APC
- The war of words between the APC and the PDP over Governor Godwin Obaseki's N60bn claim is still on
- Whereas the APC has accused Obaseki of trying to discredit the federal government, the PDP stated that the Edo governor is only being patriotic
- The opposition party has also called on the government to take the governor's advice seriously in solving the many financial issues in the country
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The insistence by Governor Godwin Obaseki that the federal government printed additional N50 to N60 billion to bridge the shortfall in allocations to states has come as a shock to the Progressive Governors’ Forum.
In a statement on Sunday, April 18, by its chairman, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, the forum explained that Obaseki's position has the capacity of negatively impacting the credibility of government both at federal and state levels, Punch reports.
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Bagudu said although the forum admits that "there are periods when the country experiences significant fiscal shocks in federation revenues" but that they are offset by other savings serviced from the federation account.
For the purpose of clarification, the Kebbi governor explained that the total distributable statutory revenue for the month of March 2021 was N596.94 billion.
He added:
"Due to the shortfall in gross statutory revenues by N43.34 billion compared to the previous month, an augmentation was made in the sum of N8.65 billion from the Forex Equalization Fund Account, which brought the total distributable revenue to N605.59 billion."
The above submission by the chairman of the PGF contradicts Governor Obaseki's earlier claim of N60 billion which has been debunked by the ministry of finance, budget, and national planning.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to Channels TV, has kicked against what it described as a political slant by the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the advice of the Edo government to the Buhari-led administration.
The director-general of the PDP Governors Forum (PGF), CID Maduabum said that rather than crucify the governor, his advice should be heeded.
Maduabum stated:
“His advice, which by the way has been corroborated by none other than the Governor of the CBN himself, and the international rating agency FITCH, should be heeded rather than being crucified for sounding a note of caution."
Speaking on behalf of PDP governors, the forum's director-general called on the government to fix financial leakages in the country to avert further economic constraints.
Earlier, it was reported that Obaseki was not ready to make a U-turn on his claim that the Buhari-led government printed an additional N60 billion to support its allocation to states across the federation.
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Although the Edo governor promised not to join issues with the government on the matter, he advised the Nigerian leadership to put an end to the alleged financial rascality so as to prevent the economic woes faced by the country.
Source: Legit.ng
