Flyover State Governors
Since his assumption of office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has evolved a methodical approach to governance, issues arising from it and the way out.
From his tactics and strategy, it is as clear as crystal ball that the man refer to as Jagaban of Bourdillon knows his battles, identify ways of fighting it and stays unmoved and on top of situations unpeturbed.
He remains unperturbed even when it all appears opposition is digging in further.
As he has done in the past, Tinubu last week at a meeting with traditional rulers from Oyo state, led by his friend Oba Rasheed Ladoja Olubadan of Ibadanland, tactically sent the royal fathers to their state governors with a mission: Â Tell your governors to implement programmes to lift their subjects out of poverty and despair.
He added for emphasis that governors should concentrate on constructing link roads rather than needless flyovers.
Flyovers of recent have become the fastest among Nigeria’s Fourth Republic governors.
A day earlier, he had told visiting clergy from the Catholic Church that they should also go back to their congregation to instill hope and future into them.
Tinubu’s response to the Bishop among who was Bishop Onayeikan, who spoke on insecurity and return of mission schools to their owners, was a direct admonition that the men of God failed to appreciate separation of powers in the country’s constitution.
He also sent them back to their Governors to demand the return of mission schools since he did same while he was Lagos Governor over twenty years ago.
However, his charge to Oyo traditional rulers is a revelation of his frustrations with governors, who it will appear are not allowing gains of his reforms to reflect in quality of life of the citizenry.
He fell short of telling the traditional rulers that their Governors who of late had been competing on who builds the longest bridge and flyover where there is neither river not traffic pressures, are the ones misapplying resources that has acres to them since the removal of oil subsidy.
Tinubu for the umpteenth time told Governors that their performance in spite of increase in revenue from federation account occasioned by the two core hard decisions he took on subsidy removal and forex are the real reasons why poverty rate persists.
In other words, he believes the programmes they are implementing are not impacting their subjects.
On two separate occasions last two years, he told bewildered leaders of Northern Elders Forum, Afenifere from South West and Ohaneze Ndigbo from South East that they with their subjects should hold state governors responsible for misgovernance and wrong priorities.
For Tinubu to speak again few months to his re-election is a message that he has done his best for the 36 states and local governments and that the ball remains in the court of the two tiers to work towards improving living standards and reduce poverty.
Ironically, most of the governors are not allowing local government autonomy to work by sitting on their monthly allocations from the federation account.
It is an open fact that since the removal of fuel subsidies and new forex regime, money available and shared among the 36 states has more than doubled.
None of the governors have come out to deny neither has any of them borrow money to pay salaries of civil servants nor have they resort to taken foreign loan as it was in the past.
Dinuba’s admonition of clergy and state governors in the last one week is a calculated measure to win understanding of the voting public to know where the rain started beating them.
In a polity where all blames for misgovernance and hardship are placed at the doorstep of President and Head of state as the case may be, Tinubu has decided to enlighten the public about responsibilities of all arms of government to know where to apportion blame.
But who will not?
The 36 states of the Federation shared from the Federation account an average of between N300 billion to N600 billion in the post 2023 period.
This is more than over 50% increase in allocation from a total sum of between N230 -N290 billion prior to the removal of Fuel subsidy and the collapse of official exchange rate value prior to 2023 not minding gross statutory and exchange differences.
In essence, between 2023 and now total annual disbursement to states grew from roughly N3.58Trn in previous comparable 12 months cycles to N4.5 trillion and upwards in subsequent yearly comparisons.
Besides, oil producing states continue to capture massive chunks of cumulative totals via 13% derivation funds along regular statutory and VAT disbursements.
Now, how have the various states been using the money earned both from pre and post subsidy removal to alleviate sufferings of the populace.
It is now the vogue among states to embark on construction of iconic bridges and flyovers even when there is absolute no traffic issue necessitating such esoteric projects.
So far Lagos state with an increasing population as a result of the collapse of other states economy between 2018 and 2026 have constructed three notable flyovers namely Jubilee at Ajah, Abule Egba , Agege Pen Cinema and the iconic Oshodi interchange obviously to address traffic gridlock associated with this areas.
But in another vein, Ebonyi with a population of around Four million compared to Lagos 22million, have constructed 23 flyovers across state junctions.
In other words construction of flyovers have turned into object of beautification of urban centres rather than addressing severe traffic and other competing needs around the states.
In same vein, Rivers State over the past years have constructed 12 major flyovers around Port Harcourt alone.
In Ogun state, where the craze for flyovers assumed a new dimension from 2011, has about 15 flyovers five of which have been abandoned in the past seven years.
The flyovers were constructed even when hundreds of link roads to urban centres were left to rot away without adequate maintenance.
Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital alone has about nine flyovers where there are no rivers and serious traffic gridlock.
The state capital had flyovers in Ibara, Kuto, NNPC (same axis), Iyana mortuary, Itoku, Sapon, Ita Eko and Mokola -which has since been abandoned by present regime.
The state also has flyovers in Ijebu Ode, Lagos Garage, Remo, Mobalufon and Ijebu Epe.
In the border area of the state, the government has five flyovers namely Ijoko, Agbado, Abule Ekun- (the only bridge), Akute and Alagbole.
All this five projects have been abandoned leaving commuters to ply one side of the flyover while the other section has turned into refuse dump and dark spot for criminals.
They were all initiated during the era of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun era but left to rot away by his successor, Governor Dapo Abiodun.
In Oyo state, late Governor Isiaka Ajimobi constructed one at Mokola known as Transmission flyover and General Gas located to connect Idi Ape, Basorun constructed by incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde.
In Ekiti State with no pressing traffic necessity, the government constructed the Ajigbo-Ajilosun bridge-and 1 kilometre Fly over in the state capital to link Okejinmi, Ajilosun and Ejigbo Fajuyi flyover.
However, Osogbo with less traffic crisis also constructed a 672 metre flyover with 10 span overhead and another at Oke Fia as part of the N100 billion infrastructure blueprint by the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration.
It also inaugurated the Lameco flyover on July 1…(the project developed structural defects noticed few weeks after commissioning).
In all, the state government claimed to have expended N100 billion on the project as part of its 300 road blueprint projects.
The construction of similar projects is also in the Northern parts of the country especially Kano which has more than 10 flyovers and major interchange embarked upon by successive administrations.
An example is the Murtala Mohammed way (Sabongari flyovers), the Danji multilevel interchange, and on- going multi-billion projects at Koto Dan’agundi and Tal’mu flyover projects.
It is instructive that all over the country, the craze to constrict flyovers in metropolitan cities and state capital is informed by attempt by governors to use such to showcase achievements and other pecuniary gains since visitors to such states normally visit state capitals where they are located.
Semi -urban and rural areas which had most of the population in the state never benefited from any project to uplift the micro economy which forms the largest part of the country’s population.
It is also not in doubt that President Tinubu had facts to prove that reasons for seizure of local government funds by state governors is not unconnected with esoteric and white elephant projects that has no bearing on the life of majority of the citizens on each of the states .
For him to speak to traditional rulers and pressure groups like Arewa, Ohaneze and Afenifere is part of his effort to drive home the point that the activities of state governors informs the state of the local economy.
But will the traditional rulers have the courage to educate their citizens on shortcomings of the state governors who approved their appointments and determines their stay in office?
There is no doubt that Dinuba’s latest outburst coming five months to election will not sit down well with some of the governors seeking second term in office.
Since 31 of the 36 state governors in the country are all members of the ruling party, the APC, President Tinubu as leader of the party have much homework to do to reign- in his governors who are culpable of his accusations.
Since, none of them can complain of shortcomings in funding, there is need for them to reappraise their attitude as the voters too need to exercise their rights beyond party loyalty.
