Zamfara is one of Nigeria’s most viable states – Yari

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, says all states in Nigeria are viable though yet to tap their full potentials. He justifies states’ plan to take over federal roads and jointly run them with the private sector. ABDULLAHI M. GULLOMA brings excerpts.

We have over 20 ginning companies all over Zamfara ginning cottons. We are the biggest cotton producing state in the country followed by Gombe. We have the human resources and the technology to improve and increase cotton production

How will you appraise President Buhari’s UN outing?
I can tell you that his outing was very successful. We all know that Mr. President was away on medical vacation for more than 100 days but on his return, he insisted on meeting with his colleagues on the global stage in order to interact and address outstanding issues affecting our country.
At the general debate where he highlighted the issues concerning Nigeria bothering on security, our economy, he frowned at so many decisions that have been taken that were not implemented by member states. At the bilateral meetings too he did not disappoint. He pushed for the Palestine State side by side the State of Israel. He recalled that the decision was taken in 1967 but has not been implemented.

The President also used the opportunity to thank world leaders and friends of Nigeria that have contributed immensely to the fight against Boko Haram, especially Niger, Chad, Cameroon for their support against terrorism. He also thanked United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany and others for supporting the fight against terrorism by supplying intelligence, equipment, training the military among others.
He also called for more support from global leaders to bring Boko Haram to an end. The President also raised the alarm on the issue of Lake Chad Basin where over 30 million people along the Basin and Central Africa Republic are at risk if the Lake dries up. He said the economic activities of the people on that region are at risk. He said if the Lake is charged, it will boost the economic life of the people who are mainly farmers and fishermen.

The present administration has been accused of not doing much on the issue on infrastructure. What’s your reaction?
Most Nigerians, maybe due to lack of exposure or sheer ignorance of happenings on the global scene, are asking for things that are not even possible.
For instance, during our last National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, noted that Nigerians are looking for infrastructural development at a time the price of oil has nosedived, which was the case when oil was selling at above $100 per barrel. State governors are looking for bailout to pay salaries and to attend to other important state projects. Governors are asking for refund of money used to fix federal government roads and other federal infrastructures, all these at a time the nation’s resources are dwindling.
Oil price today is half of what it used to be and quite frankly we don’t have to play politics because what the current administration met on ground was not enough to even stabilize itself not to talk of addressing all these challenges facing us today.
The Buhari administration is not ready to lose focus on where it is going. It is bent on fighting corruption to a standstill, tackling insecurity and reviving the economy and making it attractive to global investors. So the government is doing its best.
Nigeria is just 57 years and so it is not possible for us to copy directly and replicate here what is happening in advanced democracies. Our culture is different. Government is the head and the people are the body and the people are meant to help the government which is the head succeed.

In view of this, why are governors clamouring for federal roads to be handed over to them to fix while equally asking for bailout?
The governors are not saying we are going to build the roads with our meager resources, but we want to go into collaboration with the private sector. Globally, things are done through collaboration. We are going to engage investors, who are ready to dualise the roads, toll it and recoup their monies from motorists plying those roads.
The federal government has seen reason in our suggestion and has agreed for us to sit down and draw up modalities on how we are going to go about it. Our roads are terrible. Even in the well established economies, you don’t find government building roads, whatever bridge or road you see there, it is in collaboration with private investors, which we also intend to do.
All the roads in Nigeria today are free of charge, even the largest economy in the world, which is the United States, roads are not free of charge. In the US, on every 100 kilometres people pay toll, nobody plies the road free, every cent you pay is used for maintenance of the roads.
So we are saying we can invite investors to come partner with us, fix our roads and recoup their investments through tolling, these are practical steps that will make providing of good roads possible. Government had a bad experience when it built road and wanted to put toll gates which was resisted, that is why we are where we are today. So this is what the state governors are saying.

Some Nigerians are concerned that most states in the country are not viable. What are the governors doing to change the situation?
There is no state that is not viable. We are blessed in this country. Let me tell you in Zamfara State, I’m even thinking that we should stop taking money from the federation account. Let’s face our internal economy and see what we can do, and I believe we can do it.
A state of over 4 million people, I can tell you authoritatively that less than one per cent of them are paying their taxes. If four million of us can pay our taxes or even two million of us because it is believed the four million includes women and children, you will see the difference.
We have relied so much on our oil and we thank God that the warning has been sent that in the next 10 years, oil is not going to be a commodity you can rely on, so we have to find alternative means of getting more monies to develop our states for the betterment of our people.
India has said by 2030 they will not used injector but calibrator vehicles, they will stop using fuel. They are sending us a signal that we are going to stop buying your oil. So if they stop buying our oil, what will we then do with it? Eventually it will be just for domestic consumption and no longer foreign currency earner. So, this is the time for us as a nation to live 100 per cent on the thousands of resources that God has blessed us with.

Using Zamfara as example what steps are you taking to improve your internally generated revenue?
In the early 60s Zamfara had commodities it was viable in. Eighty per cent of the tobacco exported out of this country is from Zamfara State, there is what is called Britain Cotton Gin (BCG). Right now, we have over 20 ginning companies all over Zamfara ginning cottons. We are the biggest cotton producing state in the country followed by Gombe. We have the human resources and the technology to improve and increase cotton production.
The Republic of Benin our next door neighbour’s total population is 7 million people. It is not up to that of Sokoto and Kebbi states, but what do they rely on? Cotton export! So, why shouldn’t we do the same?

Governors have been accused of spending the bailout funds on frivolous and irrelevant things. How do you react to this?
Even the President is being lashed at daily but does it mean the things they are saying about him are true? People keep referring to bailout funds, how much is it really? For instance, in Zamfara State, we got N10 billion and that of the Paris Club refund is about N15 billion. Why are people fixated on these two items?
Since I became a governor about N300 billion has come to the state. You cannot just come out of nowhere and accused governors are mismanaging funds. A person manages N3 billion monthly and sometimes N7 billion when things improve, how can such person mismanages funds? There are laws governing our management of funds. Any money that was approved by the state assembles you cannot say such funds were mismanaged and I don’t think governor that has spent money outside the budget.
Recently in Zamfara State, we awarded a contract for the dualisation of a road and the bypass and somebody started talking nonsense. According to him, that money should have been channelled into building a State University. That is his own opinion and he has the right and freedom to talk. But he is not considering the implications of building a university. The extra overhead charges of employing those who will manage the university who is going to bear the brunt? It’s not only about bringing the infrastructure down there is about sustainability. For me, I prioritize projects based on the needs of the people.

 

 

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