Babachir Lawal
RingTrue with Yemi Adebowale, Email ; yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com. (sms only); 07013940521
The Permanent Secretary in the State House, Mr. Jalal Arabi was a pitiable sight at the National Assembly on Tuesday while struggling to defend the extreme self-indulgence embedded in the 2016 budget for the State House. How can a government of change rationalise N3.8 billion proposed expenditure on the State House Medical Centre, about N1.1 billion on the purchase of vehicles, N3.91 billion on rehabilitation/repair of office buildings and N89.17 million on restaurant/kitchen equipment for the State House at a time of austerity? It is very sad to note that the federal government is proposing to spend more on capital projects at the State House Medical Centre this year than for all the 16 teaching hospitals across the nation. Arabi also struggled to defend a scandalous N369.33 million for “Other Capital projects” in the State House. The SGF’s office was also assigned N181.28 million for “computer software acquisition.” Only God knows what the SGF’s office will be doing with N400.19 million for the purchase of vehicles in an era of economic recession. It is either the proposals for the maintenance of the Presidency were not properly scrutinised by those who should or it was done to swindle the nation.
The ludicrous State House budget proposals aside, the entire 2016 budget is already a cataclysmic document, with the National Assembly saying that the proposed February passage date was no longer feasible because of the “errors, ambiguities and rampant cases of padding” in it. Even the N6.08 trillion indicated as the total figure did not tally with the actual figure after auditing. The figures just didn’t add up. No wonder the lawmakers said they would require more time to clear the budget proposal of all its ambiguities, errors and false figures smuggled into it, so that in the end, “a budget that is acceptable to all can proceed from the National Assembly”.
Again, for the first time in the history of this country, ministers who came to defend their budgets were disowning figures read out by the lawmakers from the document submitted by the government. The first shock came from the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who declared to the Senate Committee on Health that the ministry’s budget read by the committee was not the one drafted by him. According to Adewole, the provisions of the budget before the National Assembly was in contrast with the priorities of the health sector as contained in the original budget it prepared, adding that some of the votes earmarked by the ministry for some activities had been re-distributed, while some important fields had been excluded. Adewole declared: “In the revised budget as re-submitted, N15.7bn for capital allocation had been moved to other areas. Some allocations made are not in keeping with our priorities. There is nothing allocated to public health and family health. Over the last two years, nothing has been done on HIV. We have to look into the details of the budget and re-submit it to the committee. This was not what we submitted. We’ll submit another one. We don’t want anything foreign to creep into that budget. What we submitted is not there. We have not reached that stage and we find the money there.”
Again, for the first time in the history of this country, ministers who came to defend their budgets were disowning figures read out by the lawmakers from the document submitted by the government. The first shock came from the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who declared to the Senate Committee on Health that the ministry’s budget read by the committee was not the one drafted by him. According to Adewole, the provisions of the budget before the National Assembly was in contrast with the priorities of the health sector as contained in the original budget it prepared, adding that some of the votes earmarked by the ministry for some activities had been re-distributed, while some important fields had been excluded. Adewole declared: “In the revised budget as re-submitted, N15.7bn for capital allocation had been moved to other areas. Some allocations made are not in keeping with our priorities. There is nothing allocated to public health and family health. Over the last two years, nothing has been done on HIV. We have to look into the details of the budget and re-submit it to the committee. This was not what we submitted. We’ll submit another one. We don’t want anything foreign to creep into that budget. What we submitted is not there. We have not reached that stage and we find the money there.”
Even the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed openly disowned the N398 million voted for the purchase of computers for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB). Speaking at a budget defence session before the Senate Committee on Information, Mohammed noted that the N398 million was strange to him. “No, that is not possible. That was definitely not what was proposed. This cannot be,” the minister protested even as an official of the ministry noted that only N5 million was proposed for the item in the original budget of the NFVCB.
To cap it all, our Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun was involved in a verbal war with the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) during the budget defence in the Senate. Ali, who is obviously still suffering from military mentality, told her off, saying that he reports only to the president. So, is the Customs now an agency in the Presidency? Buhari should clear this mess. The Customs boss can’t be bigger than the finance minister. Again, Ali should sit down and think deeply about what Adeosun told him during the spat: “There is disconnect between revenue and imports; disconnect between imports and forex demand. The Customs must sit up, you can’t ask for salary increase for your men when you say we are broke.” This is food for thought.
In sane societies, those involved in the preparation of Budget 2016 would have resigned by now. Since they are yet to do so, I am using this medium to appeal to them to follow the alleyway of honour by resigning. Clearly, this team did a slipshod job on budget 2016.
As for our dear President Muhammadu Buhari on whose desk the buck stops, this mess of a document called budget 2016 speaks volumes about his competence, frugality and integrity.
The Mortification of Babachir Lawal
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal is the highest-ranking federal government official to visit the traumatised residents of Dalori Village on the outskirts of Maiduguri. Here, 86 people were slaughtered by Boko Haram terrorists on January 30. Rather than comfort the beleaguered villagers, the SGF spent time blaming them for “poor intelligence gathering.” He said: “It shows a lack of intelligence ... Poor intelligence gathering by locals is to blame for the attack.” What Lawal is saying is that the attack would have been averted if the hapless locals had been up and doing with intelligence gathering.
The SGF expects them to effectively gather and supply intelligence to security operatives. There is nothing wrong with community policing. However, it is obvious that there was very little the poor villagers could have done in this direction. To blame the hapless villagers for the Boko Haram attack due to inability to supply intelligence is most wicked. Are the intelligence arms of the military, police and the DSS not on ground in these troubled areas? What about the men of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)? It is a shame if they are not on ground. If they are, then, they should be held responsible for the Dalori attack and punished accordingly. Babachir should also note that “Dalori villagers actually got the signal a few days before the attack that the insurgents were likely to attack them; they reported this to the constituted authorities but nothing was done to provide security for residents and their belongings.” This is according to Senator Baba Garbai who represents the area. The SGF must go back to Dalori and apologise for his shameful statement.
Udom Emmanuel Should Cut Short His Celebration
Now that Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has the nod of the Supreme Court to continue as governor, he should cut short his celebration and settle down to the challenges of developing this star-crossed state. There is no iota of development in this hapless state in the last 16 years. Akwa Ibom has simply been sleeping with its huge resources stolen by corrupt and inept leadership. They simply stole Akwa Ibom dry. There is too much suffering in Akwa Ibom State, with very few people having access to the basic amenities of life - public water supply, quality education, healthcare, food, good roads and the rest of them. The tattered public schools across the state are an eye sore in an oil-rich state. Udom should visit public schools in Oyoku Asang and Okisu communities, both in Okobo Local Government Area of the state to understand what I am saying. Here, pupils sit on bare floor in ramshackle classrooms. What a shame!
Now that Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has the nod of the Supreme Court to continue as governor, he should cut short his celebration and settle down to the challenges of developing this star-crossed state. There is no iota of development in this hapless state in the last 16 years. Akwa Ibom has simply been sleeping with its huge resources stolen by corrupt and inept leadership. They simply stole Akwa Ibom dry. There is too much suffering in Akwa Ibom State, with very few people having access to the basic amenities of life - public water supply, quality education, healthcare, food, good roads and the rest of them. The tattered public schools across the state are an eye sore in an oil-rich state. Udom should visit public schools in Oyoku Asang and Okisu communities, both in Okobo Local Government Area of the state to understand what I am saying. Here, pupils sit on bare floor in ramshackle classrooms. What a shame!
Again, Udom must allow the local governments to function. At present, the state’s 31 local governments exist only on paper. The era of hijacking funds in the joint account must stop. The 10% from the state’s IGR that should go to the LGs must be implemented. I will also like to see an end to the profligate Christmas carol that gulps billions of Naira annually in the state. This must not continue amidst so much poverty in the state. It must not continue in a state where local government workers are being owed 8 to 10 months’ salaries. This is a state where newly recruited civil servants have not received a single salary in almost one year. Going forward, commissioners and other political appointees that have spent almost 9 years in government should be liquidated immediately by Udom and fresh blood brought into government. Udom cannot afford to fail the distressed people of Akwa Ibom State.
Thank You Senator Baba Garbai
While virtually everybody involved in the war against Boko Haram has chosen to be economical with the truth, Senator Baba Kaka Garbai representing Borno Central in the National Assembly has refused to be part of the charade. While the government has been preaching that the terrorists have been “technically defeated,” Garbai recently declared openly that Borno State was divided in equal measure between the terror sect and the Nigerian military. “The truth must be told that both Boko Haram and the Nigerian nation each have full control of three local governments in the troubled Borno State and both have a level of dominance in 21 other local councils. Mobbar, Abadam and Kala Balge LGs are 100 per cent occupied by the insurgents,” declared Garbai. We must be very honest in this war against the terrorists; otherwise, we will be doing a great disservice to the ill-fated people in the affected communities. Only the truth can get us out of this mess. The government must stop telling us that the terrorists have been weakened while attacks occur virtually on a daily basis. Last week, the terrorists attacked and destroyed Mairi and Malari communities on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing several people. On Tuesday, the IDP camp in Dikwa was attacked by Boko Haram and almost 70 people were killed. Just on Thursday, four persons were killed by the terrorists during an attack on Shuwari Village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno. This nation must put an end to this deceit on Boko Haram war. We cannot continue like this and expect positive result.
While virtually everybody involved in the war against Boko Haram has chosen to be economical with the truth, Senator Baba Kaka Garbai representing Borno Central in the National Assembly has refused to be part of the charade. While the government has been preaching that the terrorists have been “technically defeated,” Garbai recently declared openly that Borno State was divided in equal measure between the terror sect and the Nigerian military. “The truth must be told that both Boko Haram and the Nigerian nation each have full control of three local governments in the troubled Borno State and both have a level of dominance in 21 other local councils. Mobbar, Abadam and Kala Balge LGs are 100 per cent occupied by the insurgents,” declared Garbai. We must be very honest in this war against the terrorists; otherwise, we will be doing a great disservice to the ill-fated people in the affected communities. Only the truth can get us out of this mess. The government must stop telling us that the terrorists have been weakened while attacks occur virtually on a daily basis. Last week, the terrorists attacked and destroyed Mairi and Malari communities on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing several people. On Tuesday, the IDP camp in Dikwa was attacked by Boko Haram and almost 70 people were killed. Just on Thursday, four persons were killed by the terrorists during an attack on Shuwari Village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno. This nation must put an end to this deceit on Boko Haram war. We cannot continue like this and expect positive result.
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