BY AUGUSTINE AVWODE
Political analysts and public affairs commentators are surprised by the recent frequent meetings of the Southern Governors’ Forum. It was never so. Its counterpart from the North, the Northern Governors Forum, used to shine with that feat.
It was like a permanent stop was put on the SGF meeting even though the governors of the three zones were meeting variously under the aegis of South-East Governors Forum, South-South Governors Forum, and South-West Governors Forum.
After about 13 years hiatus, the need for a collective response to comparative political developments in the country saw the southern governors come again together on October 23, 2017 in Lagos as they sought to forge a formidable southern coalition not just in the areas of socio-economic development, commerce, and industrialization but to also present a united front on the negotiation table at the federal level like their Northern counterparts.
Unfortunately, after that 2017 meeting, where the governors unanimously chose then Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as the chairman of the SGF while former governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and incumbent governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, were appointed as co-chairmen, the Forum relapsed into inactivity again. Therefore, with the benefit of history, many are wondering if the men, who lead the sub-national governments in the southern areas of the country, have finally found the magic wand that will always engender unity and singleness of purpose.
At that 2017 meeting, the governors agreed to work collectively in pushing for devolution of powers and fiscal federalism.
Former governor Ambode, who read the communiqué then, said they were ready to work assiduously to drive a robust and connected infrastructure that will accelerate the economic development of the states in the Southern region of the country.
Unfortunately, follow-up was not to be as little or nothing was done thereafter. No thanks to the 2019 electioneering campaigns season which took over. But then the major setback for the Forum was the fact that Ambode lost his reelection bid. The meeting that was slated for Port Harcourt did not hold. So for four years after the 2017 meeting, the governors did not meet.
In 2021, they seem to have suddenly woken up from slumber. It would appear that they have now realized the importance of regular meetings, even if it is only for the sake of peer review. But faced with an existential threat from marauding herdsmen, who delight in not just wasting crops and farmlands but also raping, maiming and killing innocent Nigerians across the South, coupled with an escalating general insecurity and an increasing tempo of secession agitations in the South West and South East, which were also affecting the South South in addition to rising poverty and unrest, the governors saw their meeting as a matter of imperative and not just.
The SGF has now held three meetings in as many months and a fourth one has already been slated for Port Harcourt, Rivers State in November.
It began with the one held in Asaba on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. 17 governors were in attendance to discuss matters of common interest. At the end of the meeting, they issued a 12-point communique in which they raised fundamental issues about the future of Nigeria and the Southern region. The interesting thing about the Asaba meeting was the fact that it defiled ethnicity, political leaning, and zonal consideration. The Asaba 12 Point communique, certainly enjoyed general acceptability and demonstrated an uncommon unanimity of purpose. That was evident from the reaction that greeted the decision of the governors. While the elite from the Northern section of the country were not comfortable that the governors were speaking with one voice on very sensitive issues, many from the Southern parts of the country were full of praises and applause for them.
For instance their declaration of a ban on open grazing of cattle in every part of Southern Nigeria; their call for the convocation of a national dialogue; and their call for restructuring of the polity; review of revenue allocation formula to favour states and their frown at federal appointments that do not follow the federal character principle, did not go down well with many people.
“With some of the governors angling to be vice president to various northern presidential candidates, they are being careful. You can see that the initial bravado has evaporated”
The far-reaching implications of the decisions at the Asaba meeting brought into sharp focus the feelings of the powers that be which viewed the presence of APC governors at the meeting as an affront to the president of Nigeria and disloyalty against the party at the centre.
But if the Asaba meeting set the tone for the determination of the Southern governors to see that certain things were done right and differently, the follow-up meeting in Lagos made no pretension about the new thinking amongst the helmsmen in the region.
It was a notch higher than the Asaba meeting. Deadlines were set for enactment of anti-open grazing laws, previous decisions were reechoed.
However, observers have been worried that the Southern governors goofed spectacularly when they failed to rally their lawmakers at the National Assembly to make the voice of the South ring out loud during very important moments such as the PIB passage and the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
To be sure, before the crucial day, southern lawmakers aligned behind their governors and make an open show of their decisions but the last push was not to be and the result was a pitiable stillbirth. The South lost woefully with a good number of the lawmaker voting on the spur of the moment and just the way it pleases them and even justifying it. Many of them stayed away and gave some unconvincing reasons. The deed was done, and in no distant time, President Muhammadu Buhari signed it into law and got it gazetted.
All these were before the Enugu meeting of last week.
The meeting in Enugu threw its weight behind the idea of states collecting Value Added Tax which had become a talking point in the polity.
In a communiqué signed by the chairman of SGF, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, the governors also discussed the enforcement of open-grazing ban, regional security outfits and the zoning of the presidency to the South come 2023.
Part of it reads: “The Nigerian Southern Governors’ Forum at its meeting of today, Thursday, 16th September 2021 held in the Government House, Enugu, Enugu State reviewed the state of the nation and the progress of implementation of the decisions reached in her previous meetings and further resolved as follows:
“Expressed satisfaction with the rate at which the states in Southern Nigeria are enacting or amending the Anti- Open Grazing Laws which align with the uniform template and aspiration of Southern governors and encouraged the states that are yet to enact the law, do so expeditiously.
“Encouraged the full operationalization of already agreed regional security outfits; which would meet, share intelligence and collaborate, to ensure the security and safety of the region.
“If there was unity of purpose among the Southern Governors, I see no reason why four of the governors of the South East would be absent”
“Reaffirmed its earlier commitment to structural and fiscal federalism as resolved at the inaugural meeting of the Forum held on Tuesday, 11th May 2021 at Asaba, Delta State and emphasized the need for the Southern states to leverage the legislative competence of their respective State Houses of Assembly as well as representation in the National Assembly to pursue its inclusion in the Nigerian Constitution through the ongoing constitutional amendment.
“Following from paragraph 3 above, the meeting resolved to support the position that the collection of VAT falls within the powers of the states. Expressed satisfaction with the handling of issues around the Petroleum Industry ACT (PIA) and ownership of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by the larger Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
“Reiterated their earlier position that the next President of Nigeria must come from the Southern part of Nigeria in line with politics of equity, justice and fairness.”
However, the disdain with some governors treated the meeting which they deemed fit to send only their deputies when it was being held next door, has kept tongue wagging.
The verdict was harsh: They are not sincere and are only playing to the gallery and not ready to see to the realization of the objectives of the forum because of party loyalty and personal ambitions.
Emma Okah, three times Commissioner in Rivers State, lawyer and journalist told The Point that the governors are not together and are definitely not speaking with the same voice.
“The Southern Governors are not together and definitely not speaking with one voice. They have never done so and it is not a new thing. This lack of unity amongst them is the reason why the Northern Governors are constantly ahead of them while their Southern counterparts struggle to fight amongst themselves or eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.”
Citing the specific example of the governor of Ebonyi, David Umahi, Okah wonder why the governor will not be on the same page with his counterparts on the vex issue of VAT and even zoning of the presidency to the south.
“If they were together, the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi will not be saying that the FIRS should continue to collect VAT, a position radically different from his colleagues who met yesterday (Thursday),” he said.
Okah further doubted the sincerity of the governors in the pursuit of common grounds for the South South.
For example, he regretted that while the South South Governors in the Asaba meeting asked for president of southern extraction, some of the governors are doing a different thing, adding that the zoning of the presidency by the PDP will show their sincerity or otherwise.
Also speaking to The Point, Stephen Dieseruvwe, a British trained road safety expert and pioneer Director General of Delta State Traffic Management Agency, said “If there was unity of purpose among the Southern Governors, I see no reason why four of the governors of the South East would be absent from the meeting that was holding in their zone. Three sent their deputies and one did not go and sent no representative at all. That in itself shows that either some of them are not in agreement with what they are talking about collectively or otherwise. But now let us give another example. They all agreed that by September 1, they should all have passed the Anti –Open Grazing Bill, but not all of them have passed it. Now the fact is this, if they were really serious as they claim to be, why have all of them not passed the bill? Then they went ahead to talk about the issue of VAT. Now the point is this, you do a meeting and come out with a communiqué, but the individual governors are not saying anything about it.
The social crusader turned politician added that “As for me, until we begin to see action, I mean collective action, then to me I still view it as a talk shop where they can grandstand and talk on issues that are on the front burner. If you look at the Anti-Open Grazing, it was at the front burner, they went and discussed it. Now the issue of VAT is again on the front burner, they have discussed it. But the point is this, why didn’t they individually voiced their support for the VAT issue when Rivers and Lagos were doing so much and stuffs like that? So I doubt really if they are serious with what they are doing. If they are serious, they have not actually been able to carry out the various communiqués they have come up with.”
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in one of the south eastern states, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed individual ambitions of some of the governors from especially the South South and the South East regions. He lamented that it is one single factor that will continue to work against the noble objectives of these meetings.
“Forget that thing you mentioned. Unity of purpose, for where? With some of the governors angling to be vice president to various northern presidential candidates, they are being careful. You can see that the initial bravado has evaporated.
“Two things: Political affiliation and personal ambition. Some of these governors see the president as the only person who can make them realize their ambition and they are not ready to do anything or be seen to be doing anything that will infuriate or anger the president.
“You were here, you read it that a Principal Officer of the House of Representatives wrote a letter thanking all lawmakers from the North for voting the way they voted during the PIA Bill. That is to tell you that the Northern politicians are light miles ahead of those from the South. So forget it, it all storm in a teacup. But I want to be proven wrong. Sincerely, I want to be proven wrong,” he said.
When the November meeting holds in Port Harcourt, a clear picture of where the SGF is headed would be revealed.
