Former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has faulted the call by Senator Dino Melaye for President Muhammadu Buhari to sack some ministers and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the state of the economy.
Jibrin, in a statement on the economic situation, said it was unfair to blame President Buhari for the country’s economic difficulties barely a year after he assumed office.
According to him, the economic challenges confronting Nigeria predated the Buhari administration and were largely linked to structural problems that had accumulated over several years.
“As a former Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, and until recently Appropriation, I am in a good position to contribute and proffer solutions to the problem,” Jibrin said.
He argued that it would be unrealistic to expect any administration to completely transform the country’s economy within one year, particularly when the annual budget itself had not completed a full implementation cycle.
Jibrin also pointed to the sharp decline in international crude oil prices as one of the factors that had placed considerable pressure on Nigeria’s foreign reserves and the naira.
He maintained that regardless of the approach adopted by the Federal Government, recovering from the effects of the oil price decline would take time.
“President Buhari should not be used as anybody’s scapegoat,” he said.
The former lawmaker cited government expenditure figures to support his argument, noting that recurrent expenditure had increased significantly over the years.
According to him, recurrent expenditure rose from about N950.32 billion in 2006 to N1.37 trillion in 2008 and approximately N2.59 trillion in 2015.
Jibrin also referred to the rising cost of oil production, saying total cash calls increased from about N200 billion in 2006 to approximately N1.2 trillion in 2015.
He argued that statutory transfers and debt servicing had also grown substantially during the period, placing additional pressure on government finances.
According to him, statutory transfers increased from about N100 billion in 2006 to N375.62 billion in 2015, while debt servicing rose from approximately N300 billion to N953.62 billion over the same period.
“These expenditures have over the years constrained the budget and made it difficult to channel sufficient funds towards productive sectors that can sufficiently grow the economy,” he said.
Jibrin further criticised the country’s reliance on domestic borrowing over the years, arguing that government borrowing from commercial banks had contributed to the difficulties faced by businesses seeking access to credit.
He maintained that President Buhari inherited many of these challenges rather than creating them.
On Melaye’s call for the removal of some members of the Federal Executive Council and the CBN governor, Jibrin disagreed, arguing that calls for the sack of public officials were sometimes driven by political considerations rather than objective assessments of performance.
“I have not seen any member of the President’s cabinet today—from the SGF, HOS to ministers—that is not good enough to hold the office,” he said.
Jibrin, however, acknowledged that the President could reshuffle his cabinet where necessary, particularly where such a move would improve efficiency and service delivery.
He argued that ministers were not expected to possess knowledge of every subject within their portfolios and could rely on experts, civil servants and other professionals within and outside their ministries.
The former lawmaker also expressed confidence in some members of the cabinet, specifically mentioning Udoma Udo Udoma and then Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun.
He said the CBN Governor was also operating in an exceptionally difficult economic environment and should be given the opportunity to work with the administration.
Jibrin urged the President and his economic team to remain focused, expressing optimism that the policies being implemented would eventually produce positive results.
He also appealed to lawmakers to examine their own role in the country’s economic challenges instead of placing the entire burden on the executive arm of government.
Addressing Melaye directly, Jibrin said lawmakers should begin by examining issues surrounding budget implementation and alleged irregularities within the legislative process.
“I am therefore calling on my colleague, brother and friend, Senator Dino Melaye, that we should rather look inward and address our own contribution to this problem as lawmakers,” he said.
According to Jibrin, addressing systemic problems within government and the legislative process would be a more productive approach than simply demanding the removal of public officials.
“Charity begins at home,” he added.
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