Senate President Godswill Akpabio says his remark on how much each governor purportedly received from the federal government, in the face of economic hardship, was misunderstood and taken out of context.
Speaking on the floor of the upper legislative chamber
during plenary, Akpabio had said “unverified reports” detailed that governors
were given N30 billion each — outside their normal allocations — to ameliorate
the suffering in the land.
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo and deputy chair of the
Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), denied the claim.
In a statement on Monday night, Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio’s
spokesperson, said the senate president was only urging state governments to
collaborate with the federal government.
“The unfortunate
conjectures to take away the kernel in the material facts of FAAC payment are
rather regretted,” the statement reads.
“In considering the well-intended motive of urging state
governments to collaborate with the federal government of President Bola Tinubu
to facilitate strategic interventions to mitigate the prevailing economic
situation in the country remains the underpinning motivation in the comment.
“The President of the Senate is not oblivious to the fact
that state governments are functional partners in all the efforts of the
current administration of President Bola Tinubu and are also valuable
stakeholders’ in the various legislative engagements of the legislature in
creating the nexus between the legislature and the people.
“The President of the
Senate has always demonstrated commitment to team building and shall not do
less in this circumstance.
“He therefore urges the sub-national governments not to be
distracted by any misunderstanding of the context and true meaning of the
statement.”
Eyiboh said Akpabio “recognises and appreciates the current
efforts of the governors at ameliorating the adverse effects of the current
inclement socio-economic environment, and therefore invites more hands on the
plow to complement the renewed hope agenda”.
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Since becoming Senate president, Godswill Akpabio has been speaking from every part of his mouth. Most of these statements are so uneconomical and at most insensitive.
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