Essential Ndubuisi
PRESS RELEASE:
THE 2022 BUDGET HAS BEEN PRESENTED AT THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE OF THE JOINT SECTION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA “TAGGED: 2022 BUDGET OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY”
16TH OCTOBER 2021
8:08AM
Some talking points and pressing issues that needed to be addressed accordingly before final nod is given.
The issue of spending N12.5bn on presidential air fleet, is highly unprecedented, the Southern People Congress is yet to come to terms why the presidency should spend such a huge amount to maintain such air fleet at a time when the country is faced with all kinds of hardship and instabilities, ranging from insurgencies, kidnappings and extra judicial killings all over the country, we need to take an holistic look at the amount again and look for ways to cut it down drastically.
The National carrier gets N400M allocation despite failure to begin operations; it is nauseating why on daily bases we keep doing things in the opposite directions and expecting to get a positive result, it is very disturbing and worrisome that at this level of our development, we are still battling with our national carrier, how on earth do we allocate money to an obviously non-existing unit. When last did Nigerians sighted our national carriers, besides what is are the challenges in bringing back our national carriers to space? That money should be challenged into food – agricultural prepositions.
Nigerian Doctors abroad returning home to establish hospitals credited to the Senate committee is something to write home about, it is a welcome development and a step in the right directions, and however we urge the government to provide the enabling environments and true business atmosphere to encourage such process. It is really disheartens and shameful to see our politicians travel abroad for medical treatments, when we can afford to build such world class standards here in Nigeria.
We need the basic and state-of-the-art medical institutions in Nigeria; the government should come up with policies that will encourage investment in that direction and stop all government officers and our politicians from travelling outside for medical attentions. It is commonsensical for us to have good hospitals in all the states and local governments’ areas.
Police budget N547.7bn for equipment, others, NSCDC plans police stations; This calls for a very serious concerns that the police is being underfunded, the inadequate attention given to the Nigerian Police is worrisome and nothing to write home about. The Nigerian Police needs a better condition of service; they deserve a better and improved pay package as well as good welfare retirement policies as their counterparts in other parts of the world.
The Police Affairs commission should come up with an open and transparent clear cut policies, because history has it that, the police trust fund, the police pension scheme and others have not gone down well as we are jet to see the outcome of those involved in lootings such monies.
There should be stiffer punishments for any such defaulters, all equipment purchased must be dully accounted and documented with high leveled maintenance culture.
SPC, encourage more police station and police personals, while frowned at the too many police personals by some politicians and highly placed individuals which has reduce the number of police man per unit. We insist that the N547.7bn budget for the police should not be diverted; it must be judiciously used for the purposes with clear cut accountability.
Borrowing up to N6.26tr to finance budget deficit is very worrisome; at a time when nothing is working in Nigeria, no workable industries, the refineries not working, breakdown of infrastructures, we are not manufacturing anything. How can a country that depends solely on importation survived in a fast developing world?
The entire world has since left us behind as we are yet to come to terms with the obvious realities standing as a monster in our faces as a Nation. In recent times all that we do is borrow money for sustenance or finance budget, this is suicide and nauseating.
The call for restructuring is imperative and proper for us to have a sense of directions, otherwise the Nation is on precipice!
We need to redefined our position as a Nation, and in quick match go back to the basics, as we asked this pertinent questions; where are the groundnut pyramid in the North? Where are the coals in the east? Where are the cocoa in the west? And where are the rubbers in the south? All have been left in pursuit for the crude oil that will soon dry up? No region is producing where they were famously known for.
All our plants and industries have suddenly disappeared and re-surfaced at our neighboring countries where they now operates in optimum capacity, as we are still battling with the distribution of steady power generation.
All our National heritage gone overnight, before our very eyes, nothing seems to be working perfectly well, except corruption and looting.
God save Nigeria – the time is now for us to fit the country towards the right directions come 2023, we not pretend as if all is well, let’s come together face to face and talk to ourselves in a roundtable before we go for another election!
Signed:
Hon. George Wilson
National President
SOUTHERTN PEOPLE CONGRESS (SPC)
