…Says APC needs an annual budget of N100 billion to remain functional
The former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Malam Salihu Lukman has applauded ongoing moves by the National Chairman of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to establish the National Institute of Progressive Studies.
Lukman also argued that the APC required at least N100 billion for its organs to function as required by the provisions of the party’s constitution. In a piece titled: “National Institute of Progressive Studies: Issues and Challenges”, he described the initiative as a welcome development.
Noting that the idea to establish a Progressive Institute is as old as the APC, he remarked that the initiative by Ganduje is a remarkable departure from the pronouncements of previous National Chairmen of the party. The Kaduna born politician commended Ganduje over the visit on the eve of the new year, to President Asiwaju Tinubu, together with all members of the national working committee (NWC) of the party. He expressed optimism that the proposed institute should be oriented towards responding to all the challenges of making APC to emerge as a functionally progressive party.
He added: “Such an institute should develop the needed programmatic framework of undertaking the requisite broader operational training to develop the aptitude of party leaders at all levels to discharge all their responsibilities to party organs. ” In addition, the institute should have the responsibility of organising political education courses for all party leaders at all levels.
“Details of all of these are very easy to develop as there are models across the world, which could serve as references. For such an institute to succeed however, there are fundamental issues which must be resolved. The first one is the question of funding. ” This is in two parts. The easiest is mobilising funds for the proposed institute.
It is easy because there are many sources of funding, which could be assessed by such an institute. The most difficult is the challenge of mobilising funding for management and sustenance of the party. Currently, like all political parties in Nigeria, APC has no sustainable sources of funding.” On the funding of the party, Lukman who was the immediate past national vice chairman North of the APC noted: “Certainly, funding activities of States, Local Governments and Wards organs of the party throughout the country would require not less than N50 billion. With an annual budget of not less than N100 billion, how can the party mobilise the required funding?
“What will be the responsibilities of all the organs of the party in the process of fund mobilisation? How will the funds be shared and what will be the accountability structures that will be put in place? “Part of what the budget of the party must clearly outline is unambiguous reward and conditions of service for party leadership at all levels. If the confidence of party leaders is to be strengthened, reward and conditions of service for party leaders should be benchmarked with public service conditions of service. ”
This would entail, for instance, the National Chairman should have the same condition service with the Vice President. Deputy National Chairmen should have the same conditions of service with Senate President. National Secretary, the same conditions with Secretary to Government of the Federation. And other members of National Working Committee should have the same conditions with Ministers.
This should be cascaded down to states, local governments, and wards and should necessarily require that qualifications for all positions are appropriately benchmarked with corresponding public service qualifications. But first things first; the issue of party funding and capacity to mobilise the fund to implement all these should be resolved beyond assumptions.
A situation whereby the National Chairman of the party is reduced to a beggar, expecting charity from elected and appointed officials in government is unacceptable. Once that is the case capacity of the party to influence and regulate the conduct of elected and appointed officials in government will remain weak.
Once the issue of party funding is not resolved, the current reality whereby party leaders are not committed to discharging their responsibilities will continue. Given such reality, the only realistic mandate of any proposed Progressive Institute could only be to develop the capacity of party leaders to manipulate electoral contests. Certainly, that couldn’t be the kind of institute Dr. Ganduje is proposing.”
