Sanusi Links Boko Haram to Derivation - A Rejoinder

Written by Samuel Diminas

Sunday, 29^th January 2012 06:46

Quote: "On Boko Haram, we have to face the truth; it is more of a result of nurtured religious extremism over the decades that was bound to deteriorate; that is the direction we should be looking to solve the Boko Haram problem. The constituent states of Nigeria would need to pull apart a bit in order to save the country, the close central system is responsible for most of the friction and clashing of heads within the polity, it would be

 important for each state to be responsible for a large percent of their income rather than relying entirely on allocations from the center". End Quote

Boko Haram, Terrorism and Allocations (Re: Sanusi Links Boko Haram to Derivation)

This article seeks to address issues raised in the following publications;

Thisdaylive, Sanusi Links Boko Haram to Derivation, By Yemi Adebowale, with agency reports, and Ahamefula Ogbu, 28 Jan 2012.

Nigerian central bank calls for end to imbalances, Financial Times, By William Wallis, January 26, 2012

In order for us to have a well-rounded opinion on the often-raised issues of derivation, allocation, poverty, deprivation, corruption, militancy, terrorism etc and their relationship in the Nigerian equation, it would be pertinent to review the relevant financial data.

The purpose of this article is to bring to the public discourse, the relevant raw financial data required to reach informed conclusions on the issues.

The Source of all data is from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja. 

Summary of Gross Revenue Allocation by Federation Account Allocation Committee for the Month of August, 2011 Shared in September, 2011ﾠ

All the information/data provided below, is also available on the Federal Ministry of Finance website www.fmf.gov.ng and Office of Accountant-General of the Federation website www.oagf.gov.ng. In addition, you would find on these websites details of the Capital and Recurrent allocations to all arms of Government including Federal Ministries and Agencies. The Budget Office website www.budgetoffice.gov.ng also contains information about the Budget.

NORTH EAST

Total Allocations to state, ie State Statutory + State VAT + LGA + LGA VAT

Adamawa:          N7.31Billion

Bauchi:               N8.39Billion

Borno:                N9.15Billion

Gombe:              N5.54Billion

Taraba:              N6.73Billion

Yobe:                 N6.64Billion 

NE Total allocation received = N43.76b 

South East 

Total Allocations to state, ie State Statutory + State VAT + LGA + LGA VAT

Abia:                        N7.76Billion

Anambra:                 N7.45Billion

Enugu:                     N6.55Billion

Ebonyi:                     N5.39Billion

Imo:                         N8.52Billion 

SE Total allocation received = N35.67Billion

North West

Total Allocations to state, ie State Statutory + State VAT + LGA + LGA VAT

Jigawa:                        N8.49Billion

Kano:                          N13.56Billion

Katsina:                       N10.04Billion

Kebbi:                          N7.29Billion

Kaduna:                       N9.47Billion

Sokoto:                        N7.75Billion

Zamfara:                      N6.56Billion

NW Total allocation received = N63.16Billion

South West

Total Allocations to state, ie State Statutory + State VAT + LGA + LGA VAT

Ekiti:                         N5.67Billion

Lagos:                       N16.27Billion

Ogun:                        N7.16Billion

Ondo:                        N8.76Billion

Osun:                        N7.66Billion

Oyo:                          N9.68Billion

SW Total Allocation:     N47.55Billion

North Central

Total Allocations to state, ie State Statutory + State VAT + LGA + LGA VAT

Benue:                    N8.20Billion

Kogi:                      N7.41Billion

Kwara:                   N6.03Billion

Nasarawa:              N5.51Billion

Niger:                    N8.80Billion

Plateau:                 N6.84Billion

NC Total Allocation: N42.79Billion

South South

Total Allocations to state, ie State Statutory + State VAT + LGA + LGA VAT

Akwa Ibom:                   N21.76Billion

Bayelsa:                       N15.69Billion

Cross Rivers:                 N6.92Billion

Delta:                          N20.15Billion

Edo:                            N7.75Billion

Rivers:                         N22.28Billion

SS Total Allocation:       N94.55Billion

States with least allocations; in Nbillion.

Ebonyi:             5.39

Nasarawa:         5.51

Gombe:             5.54

Ekiti:                 5.67

Kwara:              6.03

Enugu:              6.55 

Total allocation comparison by zone, starting from highest; in Nbillion

SS:          94.55

NW:        63.16

SW:         47.55

NE:         43.76

NC:        42.79

SE:         35.67

The reader is left to his or her own analyses of the data to reach their own conclusions.

The problems with Nigeria are very profound, there are no easy solutions to any of the problems, the sooner the Nigerian leadership as well as the people come to terms that hard and painful decisions are required to set the country on the right part, the better for Nigeria.

These hard decisions would include the dismantling of structures and policies which engender a culture of dependency, a constitutional review which would amend ambivalent and parochial laws, the acceptance of liberty and the freedom of private enterprise over government controlled inefficient management of businesses and important sectors of the economy, as well as a true Federalism which allows each state to be a master of its destiny, be it a desire for Sharia or a desire for state wide consumption subsidy, the center should not be micro-managing every detail of our lives, most govt policies should be left to state decisions while the FG faces the more daunting tasks left to FG's (The US system would make a good model)

The constituent states of Nigeria would need to pull apart a bit in order to save the country, the close central system is responsible for most of the friction and clashing of heads within the polity, it would be important for each state to be responsible for a large percent of their income rather than relying entirely on allocations from the center

On Boko Haram, we have to face the truth; it is more of a result of nurtured religious extremism over the decades that was bound to deteriorate; that is the direction we should be looking to solve the Boko Haram problem.

In a decentralized system, each state would have a more remarkable impact and responsibility to the people; if such a system existed, akin to the US system of Federalism, Boko Haram would more likely have noticed that 12 core northern states are full Sharia practicing states, were the states are mere passengers, little wonder the people do not attach much weight to state laws which in reality should impact more on each individual; the implication is the macabre dance of death to capture the center were all the action lies. We all need freedom from the center; including those at the center today whom would end up being the complaining opposition tomorow.

The structure of the Nigerian system of government, which highlights the center and diminishes the individual states, has been at the heart of the Nigerian problem from 1966 till date; it cannot be sustained for very much longer. 

Written by Samuel Diminas

Note from Editor - 

The above brilliant analysis by Mr Diminas is response to a statement by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, CBN Governor, that seemed to imply that the Boko Haram insurgency could be attributed to alleged structural imbalance in resources distribution in the country.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was quoted as saying that "attempts to redress historic grievances in Nigeria’s oil-rich south may inadvertently have helped create the conditions for the Islamic insurgency spreading from the impoverished north-east of the country...A revenue sharing formula that gave 13 percent derivation to the oil-producing states was introduced after the military relinquished power in 1999 among a series of measures aimed at redressing historic grievances among those living closest to the oil and quelling a conflict that was jeopardising output.

Sanusi who spoke in an interview with the Financial Times Friday said: "There is clearly a direct link between the very uneven nature of distribution of resources and the rising level of violence."

He said that it was now necessary to focus funds on regenerating other regions if Nigeria wants to secure long-term stability.

"When you look at the figures and look at the size of the population in the north, you can see that there is a structural imbalance of enormous proportions. Those states simply do not have enough money to meet basic needs while some states have too much money.

"The imbalance is so stark because the state still depends on oil for more than 80 per cent of its revenues," said Sanusi. 

The CBN governor yesterday clarified his statements.  

For further details on his clarification, Read also RE: Sanusi Links Boko Haram to Derivation

www.elombah.com

Re Sanusi Links Boko Haram to Derivation

Dr. Ndii Okwesili  

His Excellency, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi must be suffering from total cerebral disconnection hence in self denial of the fact on ground regarding boko haram. When the Nigerian Islamic Prophet of Sharia in the personality of the former governor of Zamfara State (the birth place of modern sharia in Nigeria) Sen. Sani Yerima promised sharia to Northern Nigeria, the people welcomed the idea with the believe that justice and true sharia will be the order of the day which will eradicate corruption, crime, un-holy activities etc.

But rather sharia when it was introduced became anight mere to the very poor masses whom sharia was meant to protect, for their hands were amputated in the name of sharia for stealing peanuts while their governors and their leaders stole in billions and stashsuch wealth in Dubai and other foreign countries to the detriment of the Northern poor masses wallowing inabject poverty with severe deprivations and wants. While the adult poor masses are stoned to death in the name of sharia for having consensual sex, the governors and their leaders are sexually abusing kids (pedophilia) and involving themselves in deviant homosexual activities (yan ludu) with impunity and show of arrogance and nothing is done. The poor masses are publicly caned for alcoholism, while appreciable percentage of Northern governors and politicians claiming to be championing sharia Islamic judicial system are alcoholic abusers. In fact, say anything that sharia abhors and they the leaders, the governors and politicians are the very culprits of the crime and yet nothing is done except when the Northern commoners, the poor masses, the Talakawas are those involved only then sharia is implemented.

The Boko Haramsclearly stated their case that they are here to fight such injustice against the poor Northern masses by the few educated Northern elites and politicians who embezzled their money, impoverished them, sexually abusing their kids and turning them into almajeris on the pretense that Western Education is not good, yet they (politicians and elites) send their own children to London, America, Dubai and Europe to acquire the very same Western Education that is no good. When Sani Yerima introduced sharia in Zamfara State, in an interview with the press, he promised that "insha'Allah sharia will be introduced to the whole Nigeria" and that is what the boko harams are simply agitating for.

Why should Sanusi Lamido be playing with people'sintelligent by bring derivation into boko haram's clearly stated agitation? Is Sanusi telling us that Northern poverty, that is if they are actually poor, started just 1999 when the military relinquished power? MallamSanusi said that, "there is clearly a direct link between the very uneven nature of distribution of resources and the rising level of violence." And I am asking Mallam Sanusi and his clones that if boko haram are violently attacking churches, Christians and targeting particular tribe (Ibo's) because of uneven nature of distribution of resources, the question is, are the aforementioned responsible for the uneven distribution of these resources? I am not insinuating that Mallam Sanusi Lamido has anything to do with the boko haramradical Islamic sects, but common sense dictates that if Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria is hell bent on the introduction of sharia (Islamic) banking system in Nigeria (despite the fact it is known that Interest Free Banking has never improved the economy of the Nations that practices it), and the boko haram agenda and violence as they said is to enforce a strict Islamic sharia to Nigeria, then there are more to be desired than those that meet the eyes. 

Boko Haram is not the brain child of any uneven distribution of resources, but rather the brain child of the Northern elites and politicians within depth political and religion agenda that has back fired to their political and religious detriment because of the serious unwarranted loss of lives involved.

My advice to Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Sen. SaniYerima and the rest of the Northern religion and political leaders is that they should stop playing games with Nigerian unity and call these their devilish boko haram militants to order before this malignancy spread to other part of the Nation and destabilize the already mutated foundation that dangerously held us together as a nation. Again, the preaching and believe by those Islamic zealots that a human life is a guarantee and a free ticket to eternity with virgins waiting for you should be re-examined, totally condemned and erased from the memory of the true adherents, while the importance and the sacredness of life, indifference of it religious believe should be emphasized.

If Nigeria will continue as a unit, I still insist that freedom of religion and religion itself should be properly re-evaluated in view of  analyzing  the merits and the demerits of religion to Nigerian economic growth and development. Because it does not make sense that while other nations are going to the moon with the intention to inhabit the moon, Nigerians are still looking on to the moon as a sacred celestial object with some mythical powers, one day when these other humans start inhabiting the moon, we may equally be worshiping them while worshiping the moon, this in effect does not indicate developmental progress but retrogression.

On final notes, the chips are down, it was reported that about 200 boko harams were arrested following the Kano bombing by this devilish Islamic sects and out of these numbers, 160 of them are undocumented immigrants from Niger Republic and other countries sharing boarder with Nigeria through the Northern part of the country. Another important question to MallamSanusi Lamido is should Chadians, Nigerien (from Niger Republic), Cameroonians and other illegal immigrants of other Countries bordering Nigeria through the North which evidently are the major constituent of the jihadists militant movement called boko haram be the ones violently protesting the uneven revenue distribution of our Country Nigeria? Even if they are to do the protest for the Northerners should it involve these kind of ferocious, wicked and inhuman disregard to human life?