The House of Representatives Deputy Chairman, Media and Public Affairs, Victor Afam Ogene, in this interview, clears the air on the reported impeachment threat against President Goodluck Jonathan over dismal implementation of the 2012 budget. The lawmaker, who represents Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), also speaks on other national issues. EDEGBE ODEMWINGIE presents the excerpts.
Before the House of Representatives went on recess, the impeachment threat issued on President Goodluck Jonathan over dismal implementation of the 2012 budget topped its agenda. Many say the Lower House has developed cold feet. How true is this asertion?
As we speak, there is no motion regarding impeachment before the House of Representatives. What happened remained the issue of how far the 2012 budget has been implemented in terms of releases and award of contracts. A member who happens to be the Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in his own contribution said if the president fails to implement the Appropriation Act being a law which he himself has signed, the House may consider drawing up articles of impeachment. That session was telecast life.
For a motion to be properly put before the House, it has to be proposed and seconded. The question will then be put and if the “ayes” have it, then you can say that we have such a motion. In a response to Gbajabiamila’s observation, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Adeola Akande, did promise that she was sure that before we resume, the executive would have stepped up its act regarding the implementation of the 2012 budget.
There was never an impeachment threat. What we had was a directive to the executive that we are not happy with the slow pace of implementation of the 2012 budget. We resolved that all efforts should be put in gear to ensure that we achieve 100 per cent implementation by September.
We have heard people say how can you achieve 100 per cent by September? I am not a mathematics student, but going by the law of averages, 100 per cent by September is based on the expected releases. If you are expected to have released 3 trillion naira by September, we expect that by September, you should have judiciously used the 3 trillion naira.
We are saying that if the budget is 4.4 trillion naira, you should spend everything by September. We are saying that releases are made quarterly and by September, we will still be in the third quarter, so all the releases meant for the third quarter, from the first, second and third quarters, we expect 100 per cent implementation. That is simply what we meant.
Talking about cold feet, you would also realize that the executive, soon after, has moved on along the line that we suggested. We could see ministers hold press briefings, giving updates on how much they have gotten, how much has been cashed-back, what they have done so far in terms of prequalifications and award of contracts.
Even the finance and coordinating minister for the economy, has also taken it upon herself to ensure timely release of funds. So, our observation was not made out of a void; it was made out of the genuine concerns to serve the Nigerian people who are our employers in the first place and in whom resides ultimate power in a democracy. So, I don’t see how we have developed cold feet.
Of course, you know that the executive took the resolution seriously. If they didn’t take it seriously, they wouldn’t come out to say they have met 56 per cent implementation. Even though we quarreled with those figures, you can see like I have said, that ministers are falling over themselves including having to sign a performance bond with Mr. President.
That didn’t happen before; it came as a result of this oversight function by the entire House on the activities of the executive. It is nothing personal; it doesn’t indicate any friction in the running of the government. All it signifies is that the legislature, especially the House of Representative is alive to its oversight functions. As for the percentage implementation, as soon as we resume, it will be a topical issue.
The planned introduction of 5000 naira note has met stiff opposition. The opposition parties say it is another ploy by the PDP to rig the 2015 general elections, others say it will fuel corruption. What is your view?
Normally, when issues like this come up and especially when they are likely to come to the floor of the House, it would not be right to volunteer an opinion because if you do, people might read it to mean that House has taken a position.
But having said that, I think that going forward, the relationship of the three arms of government demands the principle of reciprocity. We are talking about introduction of a new currency that should have far reaching consequences on the populace, on the country whether positively or negatively.
So, for somebody who has been named the banker to the government to unilaterally go ahead and say I want to introduce new currency denominations, I think it is procedurally wrong. That is why even in the process of law making, before we make any law, we have public hearings where everybody would debate and dissect the issue, the pros and the cons.
Assuming the central bank, as an institution, has regards for this institution of the legislature as the law making arm of government, they would have brought that proposal before the relevant committees of the National Assembly, in this case, the banking and currency committee which might even help them in coordinating public hearings during which people who are knowledgeable about micro economics and inflation can make inputs.
There are a whole lot of things and not just the economy, even the culture of the people will impact on how well they receive or reject a particular currency. So, my take is that the CBN was wrong from the start to have gone ahead the way it wanted to.
But like I said, I am certain because the chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Currency, Hon. James Onyeriri, has also made a comment on the matter and since the committee is looking into it, I don’t want to prejudge whatever the outcome of their investigation will be.
The CBN governor says there is no going back on the planned introduction of the 5000 naira note…
Well, we have heard those kinds of comments in the past and I don’t know if those pronouncements still stand even from the highest office in the land. We have heard a unilateral pronouncement which at the end of the day, would not stand. Like I said, if in the final analysis, the 5000 naira note introduction’s advantages far outweighs the disadvantages, why not.
But, if we look at it and we feel that it won’t sit well with the Nigerian people, I want you to know that at all times, our interest and our sole interest is the welfare and the wellbeing of the Nigerian people. So, by the time we get back, if the majority opinion is against it, we will of course, stand with the Nigerian people.
Do you support calls for the creations of state police?
The only fear that the opponents of the state police have is the likelihood of it being abused by the governors. But I think that is not enough to scare off anybody from a good venture. Yes, from the past, as in the case of the native authority police, we saw instances where they were misled and misused against political opponents.
But the fact that a child gets drowned in the river does not mean that other children would not go to that same river to fetch water.
So if you keep shying away from something as serious as state police, then we will never get it right I would rather that we begin by test running the process.
We will have pitfalls here and there but as we go on, the process will be strengthened. Already, we have state high courts and I don’t know of any governor who, because he appoints judges for those same high courts, would hold any opponent by the collar of his shirt and drag him to prison. It doesn’t happen because there are other layers upon which the offended person could seek redress.
The state police will not just drop from the sky, there must be guidelines on its use and abuse. That we have state police does not mean the obliteration of the federal police, but I think that even our current security challenges, we need state police.
The governors have not behaved too well with the way they have managed the third tier of government – local governments which is directly under their purview and that is why people express such fears.
There is no governor who will last there forever and if you misused the police in your own time, chances are that you can also be a victim of such abuse when you leave office. So, that should even serve as a worthy deterrent.
Recently, President Jonathan declared Anambra e as the 10th oil producing state. As a federal lawmaker from the state, what does this development portend?
It is a positive development but it doesn’t end with the declaration. We have always known that Anambra has huge crude and gas reserves; in fact, we even have more gas than crude. There are areas where seismic work is already on going.
Jonathan’s administration, in terms of popularity, is on a record low. Many say the ongoing power reforms, if properly handled, is one joker he has to redeem? confidence of Nigerians. Do you share is view?
We all know even before the emergence of President Jonathan, I have heard people when we talk about 7-point agenda, 13 point agenda, I have had people seriously say that even if it is one point agenda and it is power, then that government would have opened the leeway for the economic prosperity of Nigeria in terms of job creation for the many unemployed Nigerians because cottage industries will spring up, then the cost of doing business will come down because the amount of money we spend sourcing energy is so huge. It impacts on a whole lot of things. You can power your street which will help security-wise. If any government gets power right, you can be sure that the Nigerian people will be grateful.
Ordinarily, these are thing that should be taken for granted but because we are in some kind of vicious circle over the last four decades that we have been talking about power which is why if any government gets it right, I am sure that it will be standing on the positive side of history with the Nigerian people.
Presently, debates on onshore/offshore dichotomy rages. Specifically, northern state governors insist that the issue should be revisited. How do you see this new agitation?
In legal parlance, when a matter gets to the supreme court, the only place you can appeal is before the creator himself and I know that onshore/offshore dichotomy was abolished as a result of a supreme court decision and that being the case, I don’t see how anybody can change the status quo except you originate a different case that goes on to the supreme court and the supreme court is able to reverse itself.
But as it stands today, the policy has been abolished and it showed quite clearly in the last Supreme Court judgment between Akwa Ibom and Cross River state. So, I think that people are just raising these issues to use them as negotiating chips to get other concessions.