The Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) has discredited Governor Obaseki’s comment about the printing of N60 billion in March.
The Edo state governor had accused the FG of printing about N50 – N60billion to contain the shortfall in the distribution of revenues among the three tiers of government.
Refuting the claim, the PGF chairperson and Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi in a statement said Mr. Obaseki’s claims did not reflect the true position of things.
“Given the significance of the statement from a sitting governor and the possible negative impact it has brought to the credibility of both the Federal and State Governments in managing government finances.
“The forum is obliged to put a statement out to set the records clear, and to the best of our knowledge, the total distributable statutory revenue for March 2021 was N596.94 billion.
“These payments started since 2008 when the country first experienced fiscal shocks from the fallouts of the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009.
“As a trained economist who has been a governor since 2016, Obaseki is aware of all the support states have received from President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This is why it’s unfortunate and disingenuous to allege preferential treatment of APC states when Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governed states are even greater beneficiaries of all the support.
“This unfortunate and inaccurate assertion by Governor Obaseki becomes even more worrisome when juxtaposed with the official statement released after the meeting of PDP governors last week,” he said.
He recalled that the PDP governors had earlier called for restructuring and the greater devolution of powers, arguing that it appeared that matters that required collective resolve of all leaders had been turned into purely partisan affairs.
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