A public commentator in Zamfara State, Ahmed Bakare has condemned the utterances by the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba alleging the federal government’s inability to tackle insecurity in the country and blaming state governors.
Bakare said governors are not supposed to have any business with security matters because it entirely rests on the shoulders of the federal government of Nigeria.
He said despite that fact, the state governments have continued to supply operational vehicles to security agencies without questioning the federal government.
“The State government is not in any way responsible for the insecurity situation of the states but only helping the federal government to address the security challenges because of the safety of their indigenes”, he added.
“We are very much aware that there are multifaceted challenges facing Nigerians which president Buhari s supposed to have settled before leaving power”
Clement Agba had blamed the 36 governors for the rising poverty index in the country which had according to reports shocked the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), forcing it to react swiftly, saying that there was no justification in the minister’s claim.
The public commentator berated the minister for making such utterances, pointing out that most of the problems Nigerians are facing today emanated from the federal government due to some lapses as the government has no foresight to address certain issues in the country.
“Clement Agba supposed not to make such utterances knowing fully well that the security of lives and properties of the citizens constitutionally rests in the hands of the federal government, not states”, he lamented.
“I want to make it clear that the State governments invest huge resources on security matters than the federal government that owns the military and security agencies in the country”
“Zamfara State for instance has been wasting huge amounts of its resources on the military and security agencies. The present government of Matawalle alone has provided over 400 operational vehicles to the security agencies in the state”
“I am not talking about hundreds of operational vehicles already donated to the security agencies by the past administrations of State. The federal government has not been doing anything to assist the security agencies but only to pay the salaries of the security operatives”
“The minister is indirectly telling Nigerians that the bandits and terrorists are more powerful than the federal government and that is unacceptable as far as the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is concerned”
According to Bakare, Agba should have made consultations with the ministers of Defense, Finance and other relevant authorities before coming out to make blunders of himself and the federal government because most State governments wholly depend on monthly federal allocations.
