THERE is race among state governors on who will build the most expensive and ineffectual and, perhaps, useless edifices. At first it was airports in their capital cities. It costs a lot of money to build one and only the Federal Government built new ones in the second republic. However, there is a new fad that has caught the fancy of today’s state governors – building new or renovating existing official residence for the governor usually called Government House.
The new platform for extravagant and bogus projects was actually modelled by the Federal Government with the boisterous Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, presiding. One of the first projects he initiated and executed by FCT Minister is to rehabilitate the official residence of the Vice President of the country at N21 billion. The amount involved at a time Nigerians were reeling from the effects of the economic reforms was roundly condemned. But trust Wike, he doubled down and went for an event more grandiose project. He decided to “renovate” the International Conference Centre (ICC) built in 1991 at a cost of ₦240 million by the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida. Wike did the job with N39 billion and renamed it after his boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Even though the Naira has lost value, that amount is a princely $23.4 million.
The Wike playbook ,which was recently enriched with another venture, a new corporate headquarters for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was too juicy to ignore by state governors. Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, got approval from House of Assembly to “overhaul” the Government House , Ibadan at the cost of N63.4 billion ($39.6 million). Justifying the venture, the state said the current abode of the governor, which Makinde has not lived since becoming governor is “an embarrassment and an unbefitting facility.” This is coming the governor has less than two years to complete his eight-year tenure.
Amid poverty, David Umahi as governor Ebonyi State spent over N53 billion to build an airport in Abakaliki, a town just about 68 kilometres from nearby Enugu or about an hour’s drive. The exchange rate was not as bad then as now. It was ostensibly commissioned before he left office two years ago and became Tinubu’s Minister of Works. It took Friday at 10:30am for the first commercial flight to land at the airport named after late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo. Until then, the terminal building was essentially a worship centre for Pentecostal churches. It has duly reverted to a church! At least that keeps the terminal building busy to generate income for the state.
Of the lot, Chukwuma Charles Soludo of Anambra State seemed to have been modest. He said it cost him N8 billion to build a new Government House in Akwa which was commissioned with fanfare by Tinubu when he visited the state recently.
Fanfare and a sense of accomplishment usually characterise the completion and unveiling of such products. If the essence of government is providing security and welfare for its citizens, I wonder how governors think embarking on new official residences at embarrassingly outrageous costs will impress their people and improve their welfare. It seems there is lack of understanding of the essence of governance by most people that eventually occupy public offices through elections. Building airports at locations that are contiguous, to existing ones are less than an hour’s drive by road is unimaginative and shows lack of depth, no sense of prudent management as well as absence of prioritisation of needs of the people at times of economic challenges. In the midst of the challenges, Nigeria is still contending with, more funds are being shared by states, giving them the muscle to execute projects and programmes that will uplift the living standard of the people. Fancy official residence for governors and exotic but unviable airports do not.
While Wike bestrode the landscape as Rivers State governor, he left a trail of civil servants lacking motivation as they were denied promotions for years. He transferred the mentality to Abuja where he is initiating a number of high cost projects while pupils no longer go to school because teachers have downed tools for plausible reasons. Unlike their counterparts elsewhere, Wike still pays them the old salary structure where the minimum wage is N30,000, just 50 percent of the current minimum wage at time workers are already agitating for upward review.
Although No. 10 Downing Street, home of the British prime minister, is said to be over 300 years old with expansive interior comprising more than 100 rooms, no incoming leader contemplates building a new one or appropriate stupendous resources to “rehabilitate” the residence. The priority is to impress the citizens by executing projects that will make life and living more convenient for them. Those seeking the prime office state in clear terms what they will do for the people when voted into office. If they deviate or flounder, they know their party will loose the next election. Sometimes, the parties may not wait for the next general election. An internal “coup” within the party may be staged to oust a prime minister whose unpopularity may jeopardize their chances in the election.
The absence of responsiveness and desire to woo the citizens by governors as well as the Presidency in Nigeria through good governance may be a fallout of how power is secured. To win an election, the endorsement and patronage of political godfathers and power brokers are essential. Voters and a credible electoral process hardly factor in the equation basically because the process will still be manipulated either during voting, collation of votes or at the courts after results may have been declared. If governors are mindful that if the projects they embark on will not win the approval of the citizens, they will subject such ideas to public scrutiny.
The road to having responsive and responsible governors is by creating an electoral process where the people will vote and their votes count. Nigeria has not had one and there is little hope it can be done by the present administration.
