Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
… describe new NFIU guidelines as illegal, to meet Buhari on insecurity
The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) comprising governors of the 36 states has taken the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to task over orders to its members not to tamper with funds accruing to local governments from the federation accounts.
Apart from being unconstitutional, the Forum said the order, which it described as undue interference, is detrimental to the interest of states and local governments as it would cripple programmes such as the Universal Basic Education, Primary Health Care Under One Roof as well as the payment of the salaries of teachers, medical doctors and health workers among others which are primarily funded by state governments.
Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, maintained that the NFIU order issued to governors not to touch revenues disbursed to local governments every month from the federation account, is unconstitutional.
He said the interference would also be discussed with President Muhammadu Buhari, to let him know the agency constitutionally, lack power to issue such orders.
On May 7, NFIU had issued a guideline to reduce vulnerabilities created by cash withdrawals from local government funds throughout the country. The guideline amongst other things, seek to systematically restore councils financial autonomy.
But speaking to newsmen on Wednesday night, Yari said: “The Forum is concerned with recent guidelines of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) which seeks to impose restriction on the powers of states and local governments to operate within constitutionally approved parameters. The new guidelines have no legal basis under the NFIU Act and are contrary to constitutional provisions which put the State Joint Local Government Account under the legislation of the state Houses of Assembly.
“The guidelines will also be detrimental to the interest of states and local governments by crippling programmes such as the Universal Basic Education programme, Primary Health Care Under One Roof, as well as the payment of the salaries of teachers, medical doctors and health workers among others which are primarily funded by state governments.”
Under Nigeria’s revenue sharing formula, the Federal Government takes 52.68 per cent from the federation account, the 36 states 26.72 per cent, while 20.60 per cent is handed to the 774 councils.
The governors had earlier written President Buhari to complain about NFIU, which they accused of dabbling into a matter that was “beyond its mandate.” In the letter signed by Yari, they accused NFIU of “brazen attempt to ridicule” their collective integrity and “show total disregard for the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended.”
The governors are also to meet President Muhammadu Buhari over the persistent security challenges across the country.
Yari said decision became necessary as governors were becoming helpless as chief security officers of their various state.
He said the meeting is to find real and effective solutions to the security challenges in the country.
The Zamfara governor said the issue of insecurity was discussed under ‘any other business’ on the agenda of their meeting where they elected Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State as the new chairman and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State as deputy chairman of NGF via consensus.
Yari said: “We unanimously agreed that the best way to go is to meet Mr. president and talk to him one-on-one. We are given constitutional responsibility; security is under Mr. President while we are federating to him because he is the Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, we know what is on ground and we have resolved to meet with him only not with anybody else to discuss the issue of security and we hope to come up with solution.
“In the states, they don’t know the president, they only hear of him in the news. They only know governors and no matter what it is, the Constitution specifically said we are the chief security officer of our states while the president is the Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, we need to sit down with him because insecurity is everywhere from north to south, from south to west. We need to sit down with him and tell him how it is, tell him about our experiences and discuss how we can move forward.”
