It may be a New Year but as far as Nigeria’s 2014
budget goes, it is the same old absurdity. If there is anything that stands the
2014 budget proposal out from those of recent years, it is that our budgets are
getting better at getting worse. Many New Year resolutions are likely to have
been made by Nigerian public officials, easing the burden of poverty on Nigerians
is definitely not one of them.
This is not a statement without an empirical
background. If the budget is the most important document of a government’s
commitment to its people and their well-being, the 2014 budget tells one a lot
about where the government’s priorities lie. According to the 2014 budget
proposal, the State House will have two animals delivered to it this year for
N14.5 million. That’s about N7.25 million for each animal if they come at the
same price. At least 80 per cent of Nigerians must understandably be jealous of
both animals because 80 per cent of Nigerians don’t have N14.5 million in any
form, cash, liquid, in form of animals, properties or whatever. Those animals
will come in already richer than most Nigerian citizens. At least one cannot
say the government is not committed to animals. All animals may/may not be
equal but some animals are definitely more equal than Nigerians. Most Nigerians
will never get a chance to look through the windows of Aso Villa, so there will
never be a thing about seeing the animals, men and women dine on the same
table, let alone see them share a semblance.
While you may never have earned N14.5 million
your whole life, two animals will be bought for the entertainment of our
President and his friends. The job of a president is a tough one and we must
understand that. Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for
Nigeria, said that 100 million Nigerians are living in extreme poverty
conditions. The Federal Government has understandably faulted that claim. To
emphasise the fact that it does not believe such claims, the government rather
than look to unburden these Nigerians from the weight of poverty, has instead
dedicated more money towards the continued beautification of the seat of power.
You cannot say Aso Rock does not need beautifying. How many Nigerians even know
what Aso Rock looks like so how will they even know if the President even lives
in a poor environment? To ensure that is not ever the case under this
administration, N1.5 billion will be used to upgrade the facilities at Aso Rock
villa this year. If you don’t know what Aso Rock looks like, you at least know
what N1.5 billion sounds like and if that is what will be used to upgrade Aso
Rock this year, you must begin to have an understanding of the worth and look
of Aso Rock itself.
If the cost of upgrading the facilities gets you
remembering the fact that your next house rent is due soon enough, I believe
knowing that N8 million will be used to upgrade the zoo at the Villa will get
you upbeat about the fact that, if these animals can have their zoo upgraded
with N8 million this year, maybe you will one day at least find that amount of
money to build your own house. You probably don’t have a car yet or your car is
as tattered as the cars of most of the people in government before they got
government appointments, don’t be sad about that. N25 million has been
dedicated to track the cars in the Presidential fleet. Who wants to go and
steal cars in Nigeria’s most guarded Villa? There is a new jet on the way,
which will bring the Presidency’s fleet to 11 jets. At that number, if the
Federal Government decides to float an airline with those aircraft, they’d
immediately be the second biggest airline in Nigeria. Who says we can’t rent
jets to African Presidents like Malawi’s Joyce Banda who sold the country’s
only presidential jet and about 60 cars? You cannot blame President Joyce Banda
for caring about her country’s poor citizens. You cannot exactly say our
President does not care either. For instance, the 2014 budget dedicates N76.3
million to the purchase of crested cutlery, flatware and glassware. Whoever
says we are no longer the giant of Africa has not been reading up on our 2014
budget.
I will confess to you right away; it was
depressing enough to see some line items in the budget, it is even more
depressing to remember them all over again just to write this piece. In case
your children are wondering whether they will ever see typewriters again,
please let them know the Interior Ministry intends to spend N3million on the
purchase of typewriters. You would have to agree computers are too mainstream
for these ones but do computers even cost up to N3 million? Na wa o. The
Ministry of Information will spend N300 million to wash the government’s image
in the foreign media during the year. This particular line certainly makes
sense considering how much washing the image of our government constantly
needs. Something dirty is always going on and the washing needs to meet the
rate of the dirtying.
The Attorney General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adokie, is not left out of the budget bazaar. His
ministry will spend N181.3m on uniforms in 2014. You’d have to expect those
uniforms to come with gold, diamond and Emerald studs. N1.8 billion was
earmarked to connect Bayelsa State to the national grid but alas! Bayelsa was
already connected to the national grid almost a decade ago. This N1.8 billion
if passed, will not be misappropriated, it will be swallowed altogether. You
cannot say all of these absurdities are not in line with the transformation
agenda that has since emphasized the government’s commitment to the promotion
of impunity and unheralded corruption. Stella Oduah’s Aviation Ministry expects
to spend N208 million to plant flowers and trees in the country’s five major
airports. This is marginally less than N255 million for two BMW cars so you
cannot say things have not improved. They have improved from cars to trees.
So then what will Nigerians do? These are just a
few of the absurdities in what has to be the country’s worst budget in decades.
Recurrent expenditure has increased, capital expenditure has reduced. Virtually
every dime allocated to the former will get spent, this administration has
never reached 40 per cent performance level for capital expenditure since
coming on board.
The lawmakers will sit over this budget proposal
and you would expect them to do the right thing; remove the weeds from this
budget. That’d of course mean reducing the National Assembly’s N150 billion
allocation. N469 citizens of the National Assembly get to have a bigger budget
than 23 Nigerian states of about 120 million Nigerians. If any political party
that means well and wants change has any form of representation in our National
Assembly, now will be the time to take a stand for the Nigerian people. If they
pass the 2014 budget, as dysfunctional and as anti-ordinary Nigerians as it is,
we can safely say, whatever political party we vote for, of the current parties
represented in the National Assembly, it will still be the same faecal
composition of just another bull. Let’s admit it; we the common people of
Nigeria need help! These folk are more equal than us.
Japheth J Omojuwa jj@omojuwa.com | @omojuwa
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