Accountabilty: APC backs Okonjo-Iweala

ABUJA—The All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, threw its weight behind Finance Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s charge for more accountability from governors to Nigerians but said that the Federal Government should lead the way.
The party in a statement issued by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala was very right in asking Nigerians to demand for more accountability from their governors on the use of federally shared revenue.
The party was, however, insistent that the Federal Government should account for its share of the Federation Account in view of what the party said was the federal administration’s poor record of development.

The party said: “Yes, Nigerians should seek accountability from their state governments, but it is important to note that the biggest challenge should be directed at the Federal Government, because it takes the biggest chunk of the monthly budgetary allocations.
‘’While all the 36 states together collect only 26.72 per cent and all the 774 local governments collect a total of 20.6 per cent, the Federal Government alone takes 52.68 per cent, hence it bears the greatest responsibility to Nigerians in terms of the provision of social amenities, creation of jobs and infrastructural development
‘’Since education, agriculture and health, for example, fall under the concurrent list, Nigerians must in addition to challenging their state governments, ask the Federal Government what it has done with its huge chunk of federal allocations, against the background of massive unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure and the poor health facilities that have seen public officials, including the President, scurrying to foreign hospitals for medical treatment.’’

APC said there is no doubt that whatever achievements the Jonathan-led Federal Government has attributed to itself since assuming office have constituted a mere tokenism compared with the quantum of funds that have accrued to it.
‘’It is therefore imperative that he who must come to equity must come with clean hands, and that those who point a finger at others must realise that four others are pointing at them. It is not just enough to say certain states have received certain allocations, Nigerians also want to know how much the Federal Government has received in total to date and what it has done with it.

‘’The Federal Government must lead the way in ensuring accountability for the funds from the Federation Account, just as local and state governments have a responsibility for accountability,’’ the party said, warning against using such allocations as an instrument of blackmail by a non-performing Federal Government