"OUR NIGERIA‹COMMUNITIES SPEAK" ?‹FW: BUDGETARY TRAVAILS OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL

[Michael Vickers]

>
> Oh Ayo,
> You are hurting me badly.
> And I wonder how many millions of others?
> You see, I love you.
> How could I do other?
>
> You are firmly rooted in the common sense of life.
> You are incredibly strong,
> Massively durable.
> You hit consistently all the Big Points,
> And you keep hitting them.
> You are courageous to the point that regularly brings tears,
> And i'm sure not just to me.
>
> And though I'm aware there are pacts, and concessions;
> Points where you have had to give ground;
> You have managed to hold your line,
> the only line under current conditions so many people
> are required to live.
>
> Yes, a part of your time and energies must be given to
> maintaining a form of guideline for those who know only how to react;
> they continue to be greatest danger to the heart of the state and its
> much-savaged peoples.
>
> But you know well, as do all Nigeria folk, that it is to the 217.99 millions
> of its of its estimated 218 million folk that your principal efforts must be
> turned. These folk, from whom we rarely hear a word—this collective "Elephant
> in the Room"—has grown from 45 million over the 60 years of Sarah Ladipo
> Manyika's Nigeria novel entitled "In-dependence" to become that immense force
> of John Moore's "Waters Beneath the Earth".
>
> This immense force is one that is available to trigger their skills and
> energies to launch finally that state Nigeria has the proven capability to
> deliver; delivery that with our rulers taking a firm grip and a deep breath
> has always been the hard-worked-for gift that Nigeria's Modern Day rulers have
> had in their grasp; an explosion of energy and phenomenal creative acts that
> for so long have been simmering within; an expression no longer of simple
> massive restraint, but of huge and wondrous achievement and stable, evolving
> growth ready for birthing
>
> This is the Nigeria I have sensed and seen since first in the 1950s I started
> to study about its folk and their incredible attainments; indeed from the
> moment of confirmation when I set foot on Nigeria lands.
>
> It is a certain/ assured attainment.
> Tis just a matter of when.
>
> Why should not The Punch be the Leader in this "Achievement/ Engagement
> Release"? Speak up for the positive thrust/ for these gestating wonders and
> creations? Let the “Body of Citizens", co-ordinate with “Our Few Rulers"; let
> them conjointly release their force in those many areas of great need sorely
> afflicted?
>
> Let The Punch reporters/ journalists meet with Officials/ Local Community
> Organisers/ Traditional Rulers; let them attend Daily/ Weekly Meetings held in
> Committee presided over by the local Traditional Ruler/ Chief; let them hear
> what is said/ by whom/ and the relevance and significance of discussions to
> the effective conduct of community life.
>
> In the first instance, let these initiatives go forward in eight selected
> states and in two LGAs chosen within each state. Let these reports run twice
> weekly/ perhaps under a page 3/ or page 5 Banner, "Our Nigeria--Communities
> Speak".
>
> Ayo, quite enough.
>
> The Big Boys (are there any Big Girls throwing their hats into the
> Presidential ring this time?) are now wound up tight, and lashing out hard in
> the customary feral fight—the latest being this tale of “Budgetary Travails”;
> which reads like one of those productions from UNC’s 1950s "Institute of
> Nation-Building” which produced such a spectacular record of failure and human
> and material wreckage in its wake. … They will do so in basically repeat
> form. As Pierre Englebert might remind us: all is keyed to elaborate
> positional rhetoric between and amongst "the few." The ordinary person/ the
> Citizen is, as always, excluded.
>
> After all, twas the structural pattern Lugard preferred. No need for “popular
> representation”; twas solely an Administrative operation; the objective being
> to effect maximum exploitation by the shortest/ most reliable route. All power
> was in hands of the Chief Admin Officer and his Brit Colonial associates,
> under directions from Whitehall. …Simple.
>
> And today? Same pattern. Only now—and indeed since October 1960— all power is
> in the hands of Ministers. …Once in Office the respective Minister shuts all
> doors. And gets on with the straightforward business of Admin. Disbursement of
> Government Business entails often very big undertakings. Very big expenditures
> of Taxpayers’ money. Final responsibility rests with the Minister.
>
> Court Records of post-election Trials of State Governors departing office and
> high Officials, with many convictions for massive financial crimes, have
> demonstrated weakness of existing laws. Regrettably, all attempts to repeal
> these vital laws have been fiercely resisted. Lugard has won again—though for
> an outcome that would not please him—I would like to think.
>
> It would be amazing and wonderful if The Punch could open information
> channels, and hence enable, amongst other things, provision of some semblance
> of positions of local citizens on issues they regard as important.
>
> For the first time it might indicate there is movement towards what Nigeria's
> New Citizens under the Independence Constitution of 1960 thought was theirs,
> but in the interim has lapsed into effective vacuum.
>
> There is so much to be gained, by all participants—oligarchs as well as the
> 98er/ the ordinary voter--by easing the country forward on a more participant
> and responsible path. It wouldn’t be difficult—where the Will is present.
>
> What is the point in risking massive, savage reversals from all that we stand
> duly to gain immense advantage, opportunity and benefit?
>
> A closing reminder from Lord Acton; a maxim of which most of us were made
> aware from the outset of our Government Studies: “Power,” said Acton,
> “corrupts. And Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.” He added, “Great men are
> almost always bad men.” (1887)
>
> As most of us were brought up with a Liberal-Democratic belief (even young
> Conservatives like me), we tended only to take passing notice of Acton’s
> maxim. …It now has become an Article of Faith with those who bother with the
> realities of modern Government and Politics.
>
> Today’s students of Govt and Politics, might merely nod and smile.
>
> All best, Baba m
>
> …
>
> PS—Ayo, Curious, having just completed this small note for your atttention, I
> find my Inbox has received a note; the very first from my new MP, Mims
> Davies—she replaced (at the 2019 elections) Nicholas Soames, known best as
> grandson of Winston Churchill. …This Mid-Sussex seat is, and has always been,
> a “Safe Tory” seat. And given Ms Davies range of attentions (see her website)
> seems likely so to remain. …See attached item, should you feel so inclined. In
> fact, one might say Sagan’s message/ comments are of even more imminent
> concern to our Nigeria folk and reps. Mv
>

Sent frXom my iPad


On 1 Dec 2022, at 12:36, Ayo Olukotun <ayo_ol...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> BUDGETARY TRAVAILS OF THE AUDITOR-GENERAL
>
> Ayo Olukotun
>
> “It is very unfortunate that we have not noticed the concerted efforts,
> determination to undermine the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation
> (through the recent budgetary downplaying of the 2023 Budgetary Appropriation
> for the Office of the Auditor-General)”
>
> Honourable Wale Oke,
>
> Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts.
>
>
>
> Ordinarily, a nation’s determination, even sense of mission, on any particular
> subject or policy issue is best understood as a derivative of the weight of
> financial commitment accruing to that policy. Hence, for instance, a nation’s
> spending of substantial amount of resources rearming or re-kitting its
> military is read off as putting teeth to their bite. Rhetoric, however
> elegant, cannot substitute for resolution and consistent spending on
> particular policy goals. Consequently, the recent controversy regarding the
> comparatively paltry amount of allocation to the Office of the Auditor-General
> of the Federation speaks volumes, as pointed out in the opening quote sourced
> from Hon. Wole Oke.
>
> Recently, Oke lamented that the budgetary appropriation of that Office was
> slashed somewhat drastically to less than half of what was demanded, leaving
> it at a slim ₦5.112 billion, making it almost equal to what was appropriated
> for the local and foreign trips of the President, Major General Muhammadu
> Buhari (retd.) and the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN. That is
> why Oke concluded that we are dealing with a case of subversion of an
> institution which is critical to the success of the anti-corruption programme.
>
> It is no secret that financial allocation remains an instrument of promotion,
> and alternatively, demotion in terms of the capacity of a national institution
> to perform its lawful duties. Established by section 85(1) and (2) of the 1999
> Nigerian Constitution (as amended), the Office of the Auditor-General is
> responsible for the annual presentation of an audited report of all
> Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Specifically, the Constitution states
> that, “The public accounts of the Federation and all offices and courts of the
> Federation shall be audited and reported on to the Auditor-General who shall
> submit his reports to the National Assembly…” Regrettably, however, in spite
> of the awesome responsibility placed on it, the institution has never received
> its due recognition in terms of compliance with its orders and directives, and
> indeed, as is the case in the 2023 Budget, its due financial recognition in
> the national scheme of things.
>
> Currently, and as revealed by Oke, things are so bad that the body does not
> have enough funds to carry out elementary and mandatory tasks such as the
> preparation of the 2021 and 2022 Annual Reprts. Unfortunately, rather than
> mitigate this situation, we appear to be adding insult to injury by further
> reducing the financial wherewithal of that important establishment. For
> several years, and during the tenure of the former Auditor-General, Anthony
> Ayine, there were persistent outcries about repeated refusals of several MDAs
> to comply with directives, instructions and routines of the organization. In a
> particular year, for example, only 51 MDAs submitted audited reports while
> over 300 significantly failed to comply with the submission protocol. In other
> words, the relationship between government establishments and the
> Auditor-General’s Office is a jestful one, lacking in decorum and the
> recognition that the body is constitutionally established for the important
> work it is doing in the area of anti-corruption and financial due process