Why govs disagreed with Obasanjo –Saraki

Lack of collaboration on common issues of development was responsible for periodic clashes between the federal and state governments during the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo, chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Bukola Saraki has said.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja at the weekend, Governor Saraki said it was not in the interest of the Federal Government to be battling states, pointing out that collaborative efforts between the two levels of government beginning from President Yar’adua’s regime have helped to produce results that ensured progress on matters of national interest.

“I think the country has more to gain in the collaboration of states and Federal Government than just to be tackling ourselves all the time. Look at the Fiscal Responsibility bill, Procurement law that the states agreed to sign into law. Under Obasanjo everybody refused to sign. Obasanjo said ‘go and sign’ we said ‘no we cannot sign, you cannot force us.’ But under the next administration it was give and take. Okay, you are talking about excess crude; we must sign these laws,” he said.

Saraki said the Federal Government’s collaboration with states should not be misconstrued as weakness, stressing that this understanding has led state governments to inject funds into the police force as well as the power sector.

Saraki who will be inaugurated as senator on June 6 said he was satisfied that he is leaving a more focused and value oriented forum. He became chairman of the forum in 2007 and survived an attempt to remove him in the run up to the PDP presidential primaries in January this year.


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