Femi Falana, human rights lawyer and senior advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), has accused the federal government of ignoring the advice of the
national economic council (NEC) — which includes all governors — on better
management of the economy.
He said this in a paper, titled ‘Good Governance or
Misgovernance: The Contract Called Democracy’, which was delivered at the
recent 50th anniversary interactive session of the Abeokuta Club.
Falana, who said the federal government has instead chosen
to rely on foreign policies that have pushed Nigeria into poverty, added that
governors must take action to prevent Nigeria from entering another recession.
“Notwithstanding the establishment of the NEC by the
constitution, successive regimes have ignored its advice. They prefer to rely
on the advice of the presidential economic council on the one hand and the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on the other. As a matter of fact,
the Government has swallowed hook, line and sinker the neoliberal economic
policies dictated by the Bretton Wood institutions,” he said.
“Even though such
policies have turned Nigeria into the headquarters of global poverty, the
federal government has not plucked up the courage to abandon them in the
interest of the national economy.
“I wish to submit without any fear of contradiction that the
economic policies of the government are in conflict with section 16 (3)(d) of
the Constitution, which provides that the State shall ensure that ‘suitable and
adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national minimum
living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and
welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens’.
“To guarantee adequate resources to meet the basic
responsibilities of the government, the Constitution has prohibited the
concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of
a few people or of a group.
“It is crystal clear
that the economy will soon enter into another recession due to unprecedented
importation of fuel and other goods from western countries and China, grand
corruption, dollarisation of the economy, and implementation of neoliberal
economic policies the Nigerian economy.”
In his recommendations, Falana asked the Nigeria Governors
Forum (NGF) and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to
demand a review of the Petroleum Industry Act to ensure joint management of the
natural resources of the nation.
He further advised the governors and local governments to
push for joint management of the NNPC and other parastatals which were
established with funds from the federation account.
The senior lawyer described as it as indisputable that the
monetary policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the watch of
Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, have “ruined the economy”.
“In order to prevent
another economic recession, both NGF and ALGON should demand for the immediate
removal of the CBN Governor, Mr. Emefiele,” Falana said.
“The CBN should be run by professionals of integrity and
supervised by a board constituted by the representatives of the federal, state
and local governments.
“To achieve the objective the CBN Act should be amended to
protect the interests of the states and local governments. In particular, the
board of the CBN should be constituted by the accredited representatives of the
three tiers of government.”
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