COORDINATING Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has taken a swipe at state governors over what she
described as “misuse” of the monthly budgetary allocation they get from the
federation account.
The minister, speaking
at the 12th convocation of Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, Ogun State, said
basic public services such as education, health and agriculture fell under the
concurrent list, but wondered why citizens always blamed the administration of
President Goodluck Jonathan for the failings of some state governments, who get
monthly allocation larger than countries like Liberia, The Gambia and the
Republic of Benin.
Okonjo-Iweala, awarded
with Doctor of Science in Global Economic Development (Honoris Causa), in a
lecture with the theme: “Transforming Nigeria’s Economy: Opportunities and
Challenges,” she urged Nigerians to begin to demand improved standards of
living from their state governments, rather than accusing the Federal
Government of insensitivity all the time.
She listed Nigeria’s 10
highest revenue receiving states based on the federal allocations in 2013.
The states and their
allocations, according to her, were Akwa Ibom, N260 billion; Rivers, N230
billion; Delta, N209 billion; Bayelsa, N173 billion; Lagos, N168 billion; Kano,
N140 billion; Katsina, N103 billion; Oyo, N100 billion; Kaduna, N 97billion and
Borno, N94 billion.
“So you see that our top
10 states receive more money than these countries and, therefore, you should be
asking what is this money being used for?” Okonjo-Iweala said.
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