Issues
Presidential System Of Government: A Drain On National Economy?
Chief Elias Mbam, the Chair
man, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), did not disapprove of the presidential system of government when he appeared before the National Conference’s Committee on Public Finance.
He only raised a fundamental issue: The system of government was depleting the nation’s economy.
“The presidential system of government is much more expensive than parliamentary system of government, as practised in the First Republic.
“The presidential system is characterised by large executive cabinet, consisting of personal assistants, special advisers, senior special advisers and large legislative setup on full-time basis,” he said.
In order to reduce the high cost of governance, Mbam recommended that the federal and state governments should avoid the duplication of appointment of political office holders.
He also suggested that there should be a law limiting the number of political appointees in the three tiers of government.
Mbam, who spoke on how to boost the government’s revenue in order to fast track development, also called for the abolition of laws which allowed government agencies to spend or retain part of the revenue they generated.
“Such arrangement would ensure that all earnings are duly remitted into the Federation Account,’’ he said.
Bisides, the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, alluded to the high cost of the presidential system when he proposed the adoption of a modified Presidential System of Government for effective governance and enduring democracy in Nigeria.
Ekweremadu made the call when he delivered a paper on “Constitution Amendment in an Emerging Democracy: The Nigerian Experience” at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, in the U.S. recently.
“The presidential system of government has often come under criticism for its concentration of powers in political chief executives.
“The system encourages divisive, factional and sectional competition for political offices, expensiveness and promotion of the politics of strong men, rather than strong institutions,” he added.
Ekweremadu noted that while the parliamentary system looked attractive, it, nonetheless, failed the country in the First Republic.
He also noted that the challenges of governance in Nigeria were not essentially due to the choice of governmental system but “the warped implementation of these systems’’.
Ekweremadu argued that Nigeria needed to inject some elements of parliamentary system in its presidential system of government so as to entrench greater accountability and cohesion in governance.
“I suggest a hybrid system or modification of the present presidential system to introduce ‘Question Time’ in the parliament at pre-determined regular intervals,’’ he said.
He said that the proposed arrangement would hold ministers consistently accountable, while it would replace impeachment with a vote-of-no-confidence procedure to make way for early elections whenever the need arose.
Sharing similar sentiments, Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River also decried the high cost of the presidential system of government.
He said that Nigeria’s presidential system of government cost billions of naira to run, stressing that there were other ways of running the system in a cheaper way.
“One thing I have against the presidential system is that it is too expensive. Our democracy costs billions; we are spending a lot of money in the name of democracy.
“There are other ways we can spend less; I also expect that people should get into office without spending much,” Imoke said.
Echoing similar viewpoints, analysts argue that it is somewhat expensive to operate the presidential system of government in Nigeria.
For instance, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (now Emir of Kano), once grumbled that 25 per cent of the Federal Government’s overhead went to the National Assembly.
His words: “I confirm that I did say in my speech at the Igbinedion University, Okada, that 25 per cent of the overhead of the Federal Government goes to National Assembly. I have figures from the Budget Office for the year 2010.
“The total government’s overhead is N536, 268, 49, 280. The total overhead of the National Assembly is N136, 259, 768, 112, which is exactly 25.4 per cent of Federal Government’s overhead.
“The overhead of the National Assembly as a percentage of the Federal Government budget in 2009 was 19. 87 and 14.19 in 2008,’’ Sanusi added.
Messrs David Imhonopi and Ugochukwu Urim, in their article on “ Nigeria’s Expensive Democracy: A Confederal Option for Development’’ in the Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, noted that in Nigeria, most people were not seeking public office to render service.
“By paying the highest set of salaries to its elected/political officials, Nigeria does not promote the principle of government as service and sacrifice. There is obviously something wrong in a democracy where public offices become the easiest means to acquire wealth.
“Government, by virtue of this system, constitutes a burden on the people, as its recurrent expenditure is always higher than its capital expenditure and this has continued to impact negatively on the economy,’’ they added.
However, Mbam told the National Conference’s Committee on Public Finance and Revenue that National Assembly members were not receiving fat salaries, as none of them was legally allowed to earn up to one million naira as monthly salary.
Obviously, Mbam’s statement was not doublespeak, as he based his presentation on some documents which were also available to the commission.
“Contrary to what is written in the papers, what we have approved for the senators and members of the House of Representatives indicate that none of them receives up to one million naira per month and they can testify to that.
“Their income is consolidated, it is not salary alone. All allowances and take-home pay are not up to N1 million. Anything in addition to that is not known to the commission,’’ he said.
Mbam said that as far as the law was concerned, RMAFC had the unique power to determine the remuneration of political office holders, adding that whatever was decided by RMAFC as remuneration for members of the National Assembly was final.
On the widespread allegation that senators receive as much as N240 million as salaries and allowances, as against the recommendations of the commission, Mbam stressed that it was the duty of the Clerk of the National Assembly to ensure compliance.
He argued that the Clerk of the National Assembly was the government accounting officer attached to the National Assembly, adding that anybody that went contrary to the provisions of the law could be charged to the court.
“If any accounting officer fails in his functions; of course, he should be held accountable and the same rule applies to the Auditor-General of the Federation. These are agencies of government responsible for monitoring the use of public funds.
“In 2002, the commission was taken to court for monitoring the use of money already allocated to a tier of government and the Supreme Court ruled that the commission was doing ‘busy body’.
“The apex court ruled that our major concern should be monitoring accruals into the Federation Account and ensuring that the beneficiaries get what is due to them.
“The Supreme Court declared that it is not our responsibility to monitor how monies disbursed to the tiers of government is being spent.
“Although it is not our wish to go against the ruling of the Supreme Court but we feel strongly that our job should not end in monitoring the disbursement of revenue.
“We should be able to check how judiciously the recipients have applied the resources at their disposal, but unfortunately, the laws do not allow us to do that.
“If the RMAFC is to be able to satisfactorily deal with its responsibilities, there is need for its Act to be amended, while the commission should be better funded and well motivated,” he said.
As Mbam has put to rest some contentious issues regarding the salary of political office holders; their affluence and ostentatious lifestyles could then be attributed to the problem of corruption in the country.
Imhonopi and Urim said: “Perhaps, the biggest drain on the public purse is the mind-boggling cost of over-priced government contracts. In short, government contracts are just avenues for milking the economy or minting new billionaires.’’
It is, however, pertinent to note that perceptive analysts, including Mbam, Ekweremadu and Imoke, do not have a problem with the presidential system of government; they only complain about its expensiveness.
Concerned citizens, therefore, urge all the political executives in the three tiers of government to make concerted efforts to cut down the cost of governance in the country.
“They can do this by refraining from appointing an army of aides without defined functions, while avoiding profligate spending,’’ some say.
Uko writes for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN
Obike Ukoh
Voters queuing to cast their votes during an election
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
