Governance in Lagos, Nigeria’s most viable state and commercial nerve-centre, is grinding to a halt as politics, politicking, self and group interests take the centre stage few weeks to the commencement of the 2019 general elections.
High-level mistrust and bickering among top political actors and powerbrokers in the state is worsening the situation, resulting in the non-presentation and passage of the state’s 2019 budget.
The tense political atmosphere has further intensified as the legislative and executive arms of government are currently at each other’s throats bandying accusations and counter-accusations, to the detriment of estimated 21 million residents.
Also, ongoing infrastructure projects, including roads, new bus terminals, among others projected by the government to be completed by the first quarter of 2019, are already suffering a setback as contractors have left sites.
There have been allegations that the powerbrokers in Nigeria’s most economically viable state had “directed” Governor Ambode since losing the party’s governorship ticket in October to stop work on ongoing projects.
A reliable source informed BusinessDay that the outgoing governor was specifically told to stay action on some projects, including the Lagos Airport Road expansion, and allow his successor to complete them, a directive Ambode is said to be uncomfortable with given his strong desire to deliver the signature project before leaving office in May.
Aside from the stop-work directive, the source said the governor was also being restrained from putting to work a Paris Club refund from the Federal Government, all of which was to ensure that the money was spent by Ambode’s successor.
With one month into the fiscal year gone, the state budget hasn’t been presented or passed, leaving contractors, small business owners, civil servants and other stakeholders whose activities are somewhat driven by and weaved around government’s spending guessing the direction of governance in Lagos.
For the first time in many years, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the state saddled with the responsibilities of executing policies and programmes of government are operating at their lowest ebbs ever.
Checks by BusinessDay across the various MDAs, whether within the government secretariat Alausa or elsewhere in the state, show that civil servants, irrespective of cadre, only resume work in the morning to eagerly wait for their 4:00pm closing hour as there is very little to engage them.
One of the civil servants in the state confided in our reporter that rather than stay at work, he is now involved in political campaigns and travels frequently to other states with a chieftain of one of the political parties.
Timothy Olawale, director-general, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), in an interview with BusinessDay described the development in Nigeria’s commercial capital as worrisome.
Olawale said the delay in budget presentation and implementation could affect small businesses, contractors handling various government projects, and the wellbeing of the citizens.
“It is unfortunate that politics has been allowed to override governance. Whatever differences between the executive and legislative arms of the state government ought to have been put aside in order not to allow governance to suffer. We can only call on them to consider the interest of the people whom they swore an oath to serve and resolve their differences,” said Olawale.
Meanwhile, rift between the State House of Assembly and the executive is continuing as the lawmakers have not backed down on the impeachment threat they issued to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, whom they accused of committing “some atrocities”, including spending funds not appropriated and failure so far to appear before the House to lay the 2019 budget as required by law.
The House had on Monday summoned the governor and relevant commissioners to appear before it in seven days to explain themselves. The lawmakers said if the governor and the officials failed to show up, gathering of signatures for the governor’s impeachment would begin.
During the House plenary on Monday, the lawmakers took turns to condemn the governor, with some asking him to resign.
Following the threat, however, about five different groups staged peaceful protests to the House on Wednesday demanding that the House should desist from any attempt to impeach Ambode.
In another development, a group, the Legislative Probity and Accountability (LPA), asked the Assembly to account for the N28.8 billion allegedly collected as running cost.
Reacting on behalf of the House at a news conference after Wednesday’s emergency meeting, the majority leader, Sanai Agunbiade, said that the House was not witch-hunting Ambode, but wanted due process on the appropriation bill.
JOSHUA BASSEY
