The observation by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bukola Saraki, that several aspects of the belated 2014 Appropriation Bill failed to give priority to critical sectors; and that it is a blueprint for fiscal recklessness and leakages in government expenditure, are quite distressing. Particularly worrisome is the allocation of N54 billion to the Presidential Amnesty Programme meant to rehabilitate Niger Delta restive youths (militants), vis-à-vis the N46 billion voted as capital expenditure for the military and the nation’s police.
Saraki, a former chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), noted, for instance, the dangers of increased extra-budgetary spending and the impunity with which agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), spent public funds; and serial breaches of budget implementation rules by civil servants. He equally regretted that the budget process had become a mere procedural ritual designed to fulfil a legal condition, rather than a scrutiny on efficient resource allocation and use for the improvement of the welfare of the people. He said N54 billion was budgeted for stipends and allowances for 30,000 Niger Delta militants as follows: Presidential Amnesty Programme (N23.6bn) and Reintegration of Transformed Ex- Militants’ (N35.4bn), while the total capital budget for the Nigerian Army was N4.8bn; and that of the Ministry of Defence Headquarters – Army, Navy and Air Force – was N34.2bn. Saraki likewise flayed a situation where desktop computers would be purchased for N2 million each under the budget of the Ministry of Education, or N1 million each in the Ministry of Works, whereas the market price of each unit is N200,000.
He said “a cursory appraisal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated plans to spend money for the maintenance of plants and generators in several of our foreign missions, including the one in London, even as the headquarters would spend N201.7 million for fumigation and cleaning services during the year”. Some other provisions in the proposed budget he said illustrated misplaced priorities include the construction of a VIP Wing at the State House Clinic at N705 million; while the total capital budget for the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital was N328 million; University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (N310m), NOMA Children Hospital, Sokoto (N89m) and zero capital budget for the Institute of Child Health, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, among others.
Saraki’s revelations are not entirely strange in a country where governments at both the centre and states are reputed for running skewed annual budgets that are recurrent expenditure heavy (over 70%) as well as obscene profligacy. But the senator’s appraisal of the 2014 Appropriation Bill has drawn special attention to the fact that notwithstanding the fact that less than 30 per cent of the nation’s budget is set aside for capital expenditure in recent years, the meagre vote is lavished more on misplaced priorities that scarcely serve the interest of the average Nigerian, such as the ones already pointed out.
An investigative report by one of the national dailies (not National Mirror) late last year indicated, for instance, that by the end of December 31, 2013, the three tiers of government in Nigeria would have spent N80 trillion or more, going by federal and states’ budget appropriations and statutory allocations to the 774 local councils since January 2005. Of this huge sum, just N24 trillion or 30 per cent was spent on capital projects while N56 trillion or 70 per cent was frittered away as recurrent expenditure. It would have even been pardonable if the 30 per cent is spent strictly on projects that add value to the living condition of Nigerians. But no! Besides, ours is a country where it has become almost impossible to implement up to 50 per cent of capital budgets, hence the forlorn look on the faces and lives of Nigerians no matter how many trillions of naira voted as annual budgets.
We think, therefore, that Saraki’s observations were on point; and implore the Federal Government to take same in good faith, with a view to making amends and turning a new leaf. Last year, for example, the amnesty programme swallowed N66.28 billion; in 2012 it was N66.17 billion. This is a huge chunk of money, which when subjected to cost-benefit analysis, may be discovered not to be well spent. Only N2 billion is projected for a pilot initiative to ameliorate the pervasive poverty afflicting the Northeast region of the country; and a mere N8 billion for the job creation schemes of the Federal Government, in a country experiencing chronic unemployment. It may be inappropriate to discountenance the amnesty programme, for it has served a very useful purpose for the country. Nonetheless, there appears an over-concentration of FG’s attention on the programme, to the detriment of some other equally important national priorities. The Federal Government should give commensurate attention to all challenges dogging the country nationwide. A lopsided approach will do grave harm to the nation’s unity and peaceful coexistence.
National Mirror.
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