Why budget inflation is a permanent crisis – Part 3
With that in mind, and being familiar with President Tinubu's leadership style of always prioritizing issues that need urgent solutions and not tackling all issues at once, it is important to keep food inflation in check and stabilize the economy. After that, we will eventually have a fairly optimistic view. In the wake of more pressing issues, the abolition of petrol and naira subsidies, he took on the noble mission of ensuring that the three branches of government stay in their respective lanes, rather than usurping, in the practice of democracy. I'll probably get started. Budget increases are made based on approximate mutual obligations.
Indeed, at this critical juncture, as NASS embarks on a review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which was initiated by a 45-member committee of senators and members of the House of Representatives on February 14, President Tinubu These days, we are working on rebuilding our country. One of them is his belief that there is no need to practice the hook, line, and sinker of the American presidential system. Rather, it is possible to achieve a hybrid between the parliamentary system inherited from the British colonialists who granted independence in 1960 and the current presidential system adopted in 1978, a concept that is apparently now becoming more likely. seems to have been made clear without thorough discussion. expensive.
As vehemently argued by those who want our country to return to a parliamentary system of government, the monthly salary of a senator is a whopping 15 million naira, a very expensive budget that must be maintained at huge financial cost. The fact is that I have NASS. As claimed by former President Obasanjo in 2016, the fact that members of the House of Representatives receive a salary of 10 million naira means that recurrent expenditure in our national budget consistently occupies an elephant in the room and capital projects are given no ants. Scale is one of the main reasons why it remains.
As part of the solution to the budgetary crisis, our legislators should consider how to incorporate into national legislation the need to participate in distributing the dividends of democracy by being directly involved in the implementation of projects in their constituencies. We should consider whether it is possible to do so. Currently under consideration.
This is because, apart from presidential candidates and gubernatorial candidates, it is the members of the Diet who primarily conduct campaign activities and make promises to voters for public office. This is one way in which we can justify their quest to also be involved in the implementation of the project, tailored to our particular circumstances.
Now, some critics may argue that MPs would abuse such privileges, but my counter-argument is that constituencies assigned to their hometowns and under their authority This means that MPs should leave it up to the judgment of their constituency members, who will have information about the project. the number of senators and representatives who represent them;
As they review the Constitution, they should also consider revisiting the proposal to incorporate our country's traditional rulers into the system of governance, which was abandoned during the last constitutional review.
The fact that some of the constituency funds set aside by senators in the 2024 budget are earmarked for expenditures to the traditional rulers of their constituencies shows that our country is assigning government roles to traditional institutions. It proves their important role in governance, which has been overlooked because there was no such system. Based on past experience, the involvement of traditional rulers in governance as grassroots-level leaders will help strengthen security at the community level, which is currently in turmoil.
Finally, the warning raised by Senator Abdul Ningi about the inflated budget seems to me to be a sign of a deeper malaise. It is no mere coincidence that he blew the whistle through BBC Hausa rather than English channels such as NTA, AIT, Channels TV and Arise News.
It is my considered opinion that President Tinubu needs to decipher or explore the underlying issues plaguing the leaders of our political ecosystem beyond the surface level of budget inflation. . The Southern Senators Forum was to be led by Senator Tokunbo Abiru in opposition to the Northern Senators Forum.
It is an addition to the Northern and Southern Governors' Forums. There may soon be a forum for members of the House of Representatives representing the Northern part of Nigeria and another for members of the House of Representatives representing the Southern part. Ideally, there should be no such thing as a Northern senator or a Southern senator. Rather, there should be a senator from the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I would like to reiterate my fervent call that we should always strive to emphasize what unites us as a nation and downplay what divides us.
In that regard, our politicians need to accept the fact that the time for politics is over. It is time to focus on good governance so that a significant number of Nigerians can be brought out of the economic doldrums in which they are currently in dire straits due to the prevailing socio-economic hardships. is coming. It must be a top priority now, regardless of political, regional, religious or tribal affiliation.
For example, as the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas escalates, the country's opposition leader Yair Lapid has teamed up with President Benjamin Netanyahu, with both men working together in the war room to advance what they believe is in their best interests. are fighting. their country. Similarly, Hamas, Fatah, and other political parties in Gaza, the West Bank, across Palestine, and throughout the Arab world have embraced political differences and fought the war against Israel side by side, until victory or defeat is determined.
No matter how you look at it, Nigeria is at war. Considering the number of lives lost to outlaws and bandits every day, week, month and year, the level of insecurity in Nigeria would classify our country as being at war according to adopted United Nations standards. worth it. All politicians should therefore resolve to wage war against the poverty and lack of progress that fuels the religious rebellions, banditry and separatism that currently plague our country. It is only after we win the war that we can return to the political scene.
Conclusion.
Onibe, an entrepreneur, public policy analyst, author, democracy advocate and development strategist, hails from Lagos.
Source: guardian.ng