Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, on Thursday fired back at Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Hajia Zainab Ahmed, for disputing of the printing of more notes by the Nigerian government to fund the budget. The Edo State governor advocated in a statement that it is imperative to approach the Nigerian project with all sense of responsibility and commitment, rather than playing to the gallery.
Rather than playing the Ostrich, Governor Obaseki urged the federal government to take urgent steps to end the current monetary rascality, so as to prevent the prevailing economic challenge from degenerating further.
The governor in the statement declared: “while we do not want to join issues with the Federal Ministry of Finance, we believe it is our duty to offer advice for the benefit our country.
“The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, should rally Nigerians to stem the obvious fiscal slide facing our country.
“Rather than playing the Ostrich, we urge the government to take urgent steps to end the current monetary rascality, so as to prevent the prevailing economic challenge from degenerating further.
“We believe it is imperative to approach the Nigerian project with all sense of responsibility and commitment and not play to the gallery because ultimately, time shall be the judge of us all.”
The controversy rages as the federal government struggles to shield the uneconomic decision, which portrays the inability of the government to manage the Nigerian economy.
Governor Obaseki had in Benin City encouraged citizens to rise for collective efforts toward production and wealth, lamenting that the government is facing financial crisis, and that the federal government had to print N60 billion to augment the allocation shared by the tiers of government in the last quarter. Obaseki further decried the culture of governors running from their states to Abuja for funds, advocating the development of sources of internal revenue generation in the states.
The Minister of Finance, however, stated that the revelation that the federal government printed N60 or N70 billion to augment the budget is false. The ministry, however, admitted that government could seek ways and means to make up for funds to fill the deficiency in monetary allocation to the various levels of government.