There are at least N151bn worth of line items in the proposed 2017 budget that are either frivolous, inappropriate, unclear or wasteful expenditures, hence the budget need to be reworked to focus on pro-poor priorities, create an enabling environment for improved production and service delivery, reduce inequality and increase national wealth.
This is the position of Citizens Wealth Platform (CWP), which is a platform of non-governmental and faith-based organisations, professional associations and other citizens’ groups dedicated to ensuring that public resources are made to work and be of benefit to all.
This is even as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday said that the purpose of a public hearing on the 2017 budget put together by the National Assembly was to increase the efficiency of government and its responsiveness to citizens needs as well as improve overall transparency and accountability in governance.
LEADERSHIP reports that the group – CWP – is one of the stakeholders at the ongoing three-day joint public hearing on the 2017 Budget organised by the National Assembly.
In its submission titled “Recommendations on the 2017 Federal Budget Estimates”, the civil society organisation identified about 60 ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs) including the State House as having line items considered “frivolous, inappropriate, unclear and wasteful expenditure” in the /2017 Appropriation Bill, which is currently under consideration before the National Assembly.
LEADERSHIP recalls that another stakeholder at the public hearing, a leading government transparency organisation, BudgiT, also published similar observations titled “2017 Budget: Frivolous & Suspicious Items” and presented same to the Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Consequently, Saraki went ahead to present the BudgiT document to all chairmen of the Senate Standing Committees at a meeting convened on Monday, January 30, 2017, between the Senate President and the committee chairmen in order to deliberate on the ongoing budget defence exercise.
According to a LEADERSHIP report of Tuesday, January 31, 2017, the civic organisation outlined ‘questionable’ 590 line items in the 2017 budget meant for 32 MDAs for which the National Assembly was asked to ask more questions during the budget defence.
According to CWP’s facilitator, Eze Onyekpere, whose organisation, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) compiled the report, the annual ritual of demanding for welfare packages, computers and software, bloated refreshment and meals, and purchase of vehicles is still the norm in the MDAs’ budget template.
“Every MDA wants a vote for annual budget expenses and administration after provisions have been made for their personnel cost which should have covered this demand. There is a demand for new vehicles without an explanation of what happened to the pool of existing vehicles.