By Friday Achanya
In the words of His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, the former Governor of Kebbi State and the present Minister of Budget and National Planning, “Government faces enormous challenges, especially; the government is facing a revenue deficit. There is no money anywhere in the country; the government is just managing to pay salaries. The growth rate is very slow and population growth is fast pacing and increasing.
Unemployment is surging in the midst of high inflation.” Daily Post Online Newspaper publication, 20th October, 2023. This statement was widely published in other papers too.Considering the above statement credited to the Hon. Min. of Budget and National Planning, it is a pointer to the fact that Nigeria’s economy has degenerated from bad to worse.
To be candid, our (elected) leaders in this country have taken the masses, whose back they rode on to power for granted. If not, how can the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) claims there is no money anywhere, yet planning to procure 2023 model Toyota Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) reported to worth ₦160,000,000 (one hundred and sixty million naira) each for the 360 members of the Nigerian Green Chambers amounting to a whooping ₦57,600,000,000 (fifty-seven billion, six hundred million naira).
The aforementioned amount does not include the Red Chamber’s car budget, which if added up, will run several billions of naira amidst the dwindling economic fortune of the country. The question is, what happened to their personal cars or the cars left behind by the members of the 9th Assembly?
That is if the cars have not been cheaply auctioned to the members. However, where they are not, this is the time as individuals, they should be willing to make sacrifices for Nigeria to be economically great again. In essence, members should either use their own cars or purchase one from their monthly “fat” packages.
This, I believe is not too much a sacrifice to make by our Hon. Lawmakers and the huge cash to be wasted in that budget channelled to other meaningful projects that will impact directly on the lives of the suffering masses in their various constituencies. As for the Nigerian masses, we have learnt to feed just to keep body and soul alive and not for the nutritious values, only where and when the food is available.
Yet, no one is taking to the streets to protest the debilitating situation, which is on the increase on a daily basis and that is a sacrifice on the side of the masses. Therefore, on your own part, prove to the Nigerian masses that you are equally capable of making sacrifices and not always self-centred.Secondly, there is no money, but the number of ministries have been expanded, which implies more ministers and more weight on the already dwindled national economy, since it will further shrink the Federal Government’s coffers.
What about the numerous and incessant appointments of special advisers and personal aids by members of the Executive and Legislative arms of government? Are such appointees working for free? Certainly not! Therefore, the expansion in the number of ministries by this government and the corresponding increase in the cost of maintaining them (the ministries) have a negative implication on Nigeria’s economy.
The probable solution to this very issue thus, is to have maintained the structure left by the former President, Muhammadu Buhari. Recall that, he merged some ministries to cut down on the cost of governance. Thus, instead of unbundling such ministries into fragments and still laments of paucity of funds, the possibility of possible further merger would have been thought out to minimise government’s spending.
Similarly, the Federal Government could as well consider the idea of the former Kaduna State Governor, Mal. Nasir el-Rufai by instructing political functionaries to reduce the number of special advisers and special assistants at their disposal. This, I believe will equally cut down the cost of governance. Thirdly, the question begging for answer on the lips of many Nigerians is “What happened to the huge amount of money claimed to have been saved from the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government?”
According to Reuters (reuters.com), 31st July, 2023, Nigeria has saved over a trillion naira, equivalent to1.32billion USD, within just two months of subsidy removal, a statement credited to His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu. Since then, the said amount is expected to have risen. And I ask, where is the money? What is it being used for, since the masses are yet to feel the impact of all the promises made by government concerning the subsidy money?
Whatever, the response(s), Nigerians are not in any way feeling the positive impact of the said subsidy savings, rather, the impacts have been tormenting so far, from May 29th, 2023. Candidly speaking, the subsidy removal’s multipliers effect on every aspect of the lives of the Nigerian masses is resounding.
People can no longer have the traditional 3 square meals. They can no longer afford hospital bills and other daily miscellaneous bills to mention just a few. What do we do at this point? We can only consider bearing this burden as a sacrifice on our own part as loyal followers. On the part of the government, it needs to hearken to some of the cries of the masses as its own measure of sacrifice.
Fourthly, Government has no money and I ask again, what happened to the Presidential order to the law enforcement agencies to recover the anchor borrowers’ money? What happened to the loot of the former Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris amounting to over 190 million USD (₦109 billion) and those of other government officials established?
Yet, there is no money. In fact, thank God, God is not man, why certain lies are successfully told in this country, but, remember, because God is not man, we shall all account for our earthly did before Him someday. The wicked and heartless shall taste the wrath of the Almighty.
On a final note, my candid solution to this problem of no money is to cut down on all unnecessary expenditures, appointments and merge some government ministries and parastatals together. I equally suggest that the National assembly should practice a unicameral legislature against the present bicameral system, by abolishing the Senate and maintaining the House of Representatives, which I feel it is representative enough. Similarly, there is the need to make the salaries and emoluments of elected political office holders less attractive. If this is done, only those who truly have the masses at heart will wish to vie for a political office.
Above all, the appropriate sector of government should ensure all identified looted funds are recovered and the perpetrators brought to book and treated accordingly to serve as deterrent to other intending looters. In addition, the issue of security should be addressed among other necessities as all these and other possible measures will hopefully curtail the use of the statement “there is no money anywhere in the country…”
Achanya writes from Kaduna State, Nigeria. [email protected]
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