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How National Assembly cripples Nigeria economically

Written by Tim Elombah

 Published: 22 December 2016

Nigerians are raising alarm over the mind-boggling budget of the National Assembly as contained in the 2017 budget.

According to 2016 budget, N115 billion was spent on the 360-member House of Reps and 109 senators (totalling 469 Lawmakers) and the legislative institution civil servants.

The National Assembly has never made their budget breakdown open and transparent to the public since 1999. 

Worse yet, Nigerians have never been opportuned to know what the N115 billion was spent on.

Consequently, progressive Nigerians conscious of the national economic crisis expected that the National Assembly budget to be slashed from the whooping N120 billion allocated.

Alas! The National assembly ironically rejected the demand that their salaries be slashed but rather increased it!

Interestingly, the Federal Government is seeking for loan locally or internationally to fund 2017 budget deficit.

President Muhammadu Buhari had announced, during the presentation of the 2017 budget, that the country will borrow as much as 46 per cent to finance the budget.

Buhari disclosed that the 46% deficit will be borrowed from external sources, meanwhile, N1.254 trillion will be borrowed from the domestic market

He said that the deficit of N2.36 trillion for 2017, which is about 2.18 per cent of GDP, will be financed mainly by borrowing.

According to him, government’s intention is to source N1.067 trillion or about 46% of the borrowing from external sources while N1.254 trillion will be borrowed from the domestic market.

Consequentially, it means that Nigeria will borrow and waste the loans on over-bloated recurrent cost of sustaining and maintaining the lavish and frivolous lifestyles of political class.

President Buhari, meanwhile, has implored Nigerian masses to endure austerity measures and hardship as 2017 predictably will be economically tough.

In another bizarre turn of events, the federal government announced that it will use over N250 billion of recovered looted funds to finance the 2017 Budget.

However, the said “recovered loots” does not yet exist anywhere as they are still to be recovered.

The National Budget Office [NBO], on Monday, said the said monies were to be recovered from corrupt government officials.

NBO Director General of the office, Mr Ben Akabueze, said that only N72 billion of the money had already been recovered.

“We are projecting N258.6 billion looted funds to be part of the revenue to finance 2017 budget.

“Also to be included in budget financing is 320 million dollars, which is N97.6 billion recovered Abacha loots expected from the Swiss government.

“The balance of N90 billion will be from other expected recovery loots which are now at advanced stages,’’ he said.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government earlier said it will fund the 2017 budget with recovered loot and renewed oil licences, even as it targets N10 trillion revenue generation in the coming year.

It emphasised that the 2017 budget would also be financed through royalties and promissory notes.

As an analyst aptly captured it, “as the government is recovering the loots from the looters, they only hand them over to less than 500 people in the National Assembly to cater for their lifestyles while Majority of Nigerians remain in poverty!”

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Buhari: Recalcitrance in place of Governance?

Objective observers may suggest this is a government that crested into office on high hopes and on a reputation for competence. Some may speculate it was voted in on the promise for a new and transformed Nigeria. Others may indicate it was enthroned because we desired the incarceration of the twin evils of corruption and insecurity. In recent times the situation has become grim and as the days merge into another emerging are a significant number who now harbour a tendency to gloat. 

This based on claims they issued warning upon warning about the sheer cluelessness that Buhari represented in years past in his responses to issues about the economy. However, we cannot ignore the fact that it was with fervour so evangelical that many of us supported General Buhari’s in the last of his few bids to become President. In the face of so much hopelessness, in the midst of the confounding scrounge of corruption and the unremitting and unending war against Boko Haram something had to happen. We relegated any past misgivings into far-flung recesses of our memory. 

We elevated the reminiscences of time past when he ruled with Idiagbon in tow. We ignored any suspicions about his vaunted inadequacies in preference to that of the bumbling and incompetent President Jonathan. It is not surprising that many now rise up, drenched in self-vindication and righteousness and suggest ‘I told you so’. However, there is a narrative, which must not be lost to revision. At the 2015 election we were presented with the two choices, not the very best at that but to many it was clear Buhari was a better of the options. 

Many observers will suggest the President started well with his inaugural address indicating loud and clear, he belongs to no special interest but to the whole nation. Then slowly the signs began to unravel, he took over the machinery of government and incapacitation assumed a new height. For six months he was unable to form a cabinet. Earlier on he appeared to bungle the elections into the leadership of the National Assembly. He then proceeded to introduced 80s styles exchange controls to the management of the economy sitting well within a globalized environment. 

He chose a debutante, a rookie as Minister of Finance for an economy groaning from years of excessive corruption. He placed several misfitting persons into positions, which they could not master as ministers. By his actions he turned and transformed the slow and anemic growth he inherited from Jonathan into a recession on the verge of a depression. Then there was his hard fisted response lacking any innovative ideas to Niger Delta situation which only worsened the situation. 

In all these, his greatest achievements apart from his fight against corruption, has been his recalcitrance, his stubbornness and his refusal to yield to the ideas and visions of the 2000s. It is now apparent that his first venture into government was anchored by Idiagbon and that he offered very little in way of innovation. When he could have constructed a government of all talents, abandoning party hacks and investing in technocrats he became devilled by them. 

A President who laid claim to belonging to none is now in the full embrace of a cabal, making it impossible for him to see that failure lurks all around the levers he controls. Even in the military sphere, video clips of soldiers dying of thirst and wailing for the commander-in-chief to come to their rescue at the war front serves to reinforce the incompetence that the government has become. 

But is all hope lost? I believe not, the New Year affords an opportunity for renewal, to replace the deadwood and deconstruct the Aso Rock cabal around him. 2017 presents a new vista, one in which he is transformed into a competent manager of men and derogating his responsibilities to the talent that flourishes all around our country Nigeria. 2017 presents an avenue to abandon any attempts at exchange controls and allow the naira to find its true level and to attract much needed foreign investments. 

To those who despair, who are wilting under the weight of a struggling economy, I say our time may yet come in 2017 and beyond but only if Mr. President wakes up.

Today 3 December 2016 we walked against Cancer in memory of Folashade Laniyan

7 million naira was raised today from the walk organised by Jackson Etti & Edu, the law firm where Folashade partnered before she passed on. The turn out was impressive and remarkable. After we sauntered, trod and jogged to the finish line, tips were offered on early detection and prevention of cancer by Farouk 'Natty' Oreagba, a cancer survivour and others. Olu Ojedokun, Shade's twin who attended the event with his brother Adebowale spoke on the legacy that is Folashade which will remain as long as people go home and act upon the advice given. Here are some memorable pictures of the hour long walk. The funds raised were donated to Optimal Cancer Care Foundation who have promised to build a facility to be named after Folashade Feyisara Laniyan.

Funke's Senaike's Comments on the needless death of the Youth Corper in Kano...

Pls be wise!!!

My heart grieves so much for Ifedolapo, the corper who died in camp days ago. That a simple act of negligence could cost so much. I pray God gives her family the fortitude to bear the loss.

There are some doctors that can not have a good future. This is not a curse though. Some medical practitioners have sown seeds of evil into their future, such that will affect generations yet unborn. I have seen it all; those who became doctors just for the title and cheap honor, those who joined the profession by force or coercion from people and the true ones who became doctors as a literate confirmation of their nurturing nature.

I remember my 3-day camp experience. There was a certain morning, i think the 2nd day how i was in pains and i was told they had no analgesic apart from paracetamol to give. I remember how I walked back and forth painfully to my luggage to give the doctor an ampoule of injection from the ones I had brought along to camp as if i knew such situation could arise. There was this guy as well, a commissioner's son who was asthmatic and needed treatment but couldn't get any till he called home to be redeployed immediately. He was so much in need of help but all he got was a bed space.

I remember the scene very well, how he laid helpless on the bed for hours, his inhaler cluthed in his hands as that was all he had to save his life. No IV line, no fluids, no 1st aid or aminophylline* administered, just a helpless boy who laid there on the bed. I wasn't going to let that happen to me though. Ofcourse, there were doctors available but they just couldn't do anything on the basis that they were out of supplies. The saddest thing is they don't even give a hoot if you die or live.

Why this Lady's case got to me was that no one made enough attempt to save her. How can you say someone was pretending to be ill just to avoid parade, then out of your evil, non challant attitude, you neglect her to her supposed pretense? Why would you even be a doctor in the 1st place if you could not be sensitive to people's feelings? They coulda taken her vital signs, a simple act of care that would have changed alot, given her 1st aid at least before placing her on observation.

It was when they not now saw her calling home before they took her serious and gave an injection no one knows, meaning that alternative was available all along and something could have been done earlier. She now started reacting again and still they ignored her. Pls why would any right thinking medical personnel ignore such if not witchcraft!

What if she was family to anyone of them? Someone now called again to speak to the doctor on call who refused to talk when he knew the atrocities he had committed. No one wanted to take responsibility for such a case out of control. When someone is irresponsible, there is no limit to how stupid they can act. I know such wack doctors who will tell you they know what they are doing and they're sure of what they've given irrespective of how you feel. The killer doctors and nurses. They are so proud, wicked, insensitive and unaccessible. They never give room for dialogue or allow feedback from the patient. The all knowing ones you can not try to converse with lest you teach them their jobs even at the expense of your life.

I know a couple of them i have had encounters with; those who would get angry when you ask to know what they want to prescribe. So what if you're a doctor, does that automatically make you omni-knowest? How can you give quality treatment without knowing a patient's history when you are so uptight and arrogant with a god complex? If you are a doctor and you are reading this, pls change some attitudes.

When your patient is asking questions, they not trying to teach you your job. Yes, we all know you went to medical school and have an idea of how tough it was. But you don't have to let your patients be the recipient of all the harshness melted on you by inconsiderate consultants and superiors. Learn to be accessible. Listen to your patient and be sensitive to be a care giver, not just for what you will be paid. For every life lost under your care that you could've easily saved, you will be held accountable for.

And to nurses, they are even worse. I have experienced them in all forms as well. Some of them are just witches in uniforms. So cruel and hostile. Imagine you having this fear whenever a certain nurse is on call. There are those who will 1st insult you for being ill before reluctantly carrying out the doctor's orders, they would keep complaining that you're stressing them by your incessant complaints if you are not relieved of your agony.

The religious fanatics give you this feeling that you should not infect them (by whatever myopic way of thought) with your possessed spirit, as your illness is spiritual as they hardly fall ill in their family.

And lastly, the medical mishaps; who would rather sit comfortably to enjoy a gossip or watch a scratched dvd rather than attend to you while you writhe in pain. They are so rude to the point that if you try to send someone or give a reminder about a delayed medication, they get so angry, insinuating you're trying to teach them their job.

Pls don't let anyone's act of foolery send you to an early grave. If you get uncomfortable with any medical personnel, pls cry out, know and expose their identity. These guys don't really care who dies or lives.

If you are to embark on on journey, ensure you have a first aid kit especially if you have a known medical condition. Don't assume anyone will cater adequately for you where you're going. No one really cares!

Learn to speak out especially if receiving treatment from a new doctor or hospital where they do not know your history. Ask questions, inquire to know their prescriptions as it is your life. The true ones will gladly explain to you and why you need what at that period. They have nothing to hide, its pure professionalism.

Only wizards and witches get provoked with such and leave you at their mercy to use as experiments. They make you beg to be treated and make you realise how much of a favour they are doing by attending to you. They are everywhere. Monsters!

Don't fall a victim. Better to be termed difficult and problematic than allow anyone's act of negligence destroy your precious life.

And to every sweet, responsible medical personnel out there, thank you for being n extraordinary life saver. You can never be truly rewarded by mortals, only through God's grace. For the sensitivity of this post, I won't mention names. But pls know I hold you in high esteem in my heart.

Love, Aador®.