From budget padding to omission: A chain of incompetence
By Dara Adenekan
After having a close scrutiny of the issues surrounding the recent budget tussle between the executive arm of government and the legislature, one is quick to realize that the problem stems from the stunning display of negligence and incompetence on the part of the Buhari led administration. The administration displayed so much incompetence, inability to pay attention to details and lack of technical know-how in the way it handled the budget from the onset, it’s first major statutory obligation. The monumental series of chaos that sprang up at different stages – ranging from glaring reports that the budget was heavily padded, to claims of non-inclusion of some vital intended projects by the executive – leaves one to begin to wonder if the presidency with the entire executive arm knows what it is doing at all.
Buhari and those running the government with him should bury their heads in shame by now. How can the executive arm of government in a country that has survived over 16 years of uninterrupted democracy not know how to properly plan it’s fiscal policy? Did the All Progressives Alliance learn anything about governance within the few years of its ferocious and vociferous opposition at all? What appears to be far more annoying and irritating is the arrogance with which the matter has been handled and the deafening silence of the administration over the issue so far. The president or any member of his cabinet is yet to come out to address the numerous disturbing reports in the media and properly brief the nation on why the budget is yet to be accented by the president.
The refusal of the president to regularly address the nation, especially when situations of national concern call for it, is in contrast to the promise of a progressive and modernistic form of governance that served as the backdrop of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) presidential campaign during the 2015 General Elections. The only times the president has addressed the nation deliberately, after his inauguration, was probably during the last traditional Independence Day Presidential Address and during the ritualistic Presidential Media Chat held last year. Accountability in a democratic setting entails regular direct communication between the government and the governed, to give a periodic account of their stewardship, actions and inactions. The president of America Barrack Obama addresses the American people every week. Every Week! He also speaks during major national crisis or challenges.
The deafening silence of President Buhari on a number of critical issues and challenges that have faced the nation during the last one year of the existence of this administration is irritating and heart breaking. The president seems to have lost touch with the psycho-emotional needs and yearnings of Nigerians. Apart from the budget brouhaha, the Agatu Killings and the Zaria Massacre are ready examples here. When asked, during the last Presidential Media Chat, about what actions the president was taking on the gruesome killing of harmless citizens by men of the Nigerian Army, the president appeared downplaying the massacre by referring to “excited teenagers virtually hitting the chest of generals.” A Nigerian citizen listening is left to wonder if the punishment of such action of insolence by the teenagers is a good reason for hundreds of them to be slaughtered in cold blood by the men whose duty it is to safeguard their lives. Now that the report of the panel of inquiry set up by the Kaduna State Government is ready, we will keep our fingers crossed and wait for the decisive action to be taken by the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
Recently, I was asking myself if the president has actually made any planned deliberate address to the nation on the reasons for the lingering fuel scarcity that has lasted for several months and has left businesses in the country paralysed. I can’t remember any, except one or two forced sentences during public occasions, diplomatic visits, and foreign media interviews. Even the Group Managing Director of NNPC and Minister of State for Petroleum only addressed the issue for the first time after a meeting with the president at the presidential villa when journalists had to force words out of him. And he was quick to deride them with his rude and discourteous flippancy.
His statement of not being a magician who can make fuel scarcity disappear overnight was an epic one among the series of insulting flippancy that has emanated from the presidency and its cabinet. Another in keen competition with it was the statement recently made by Mr Femi Adesina the Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity while addressing the menace of poor electricity supply in the nation during an interview on Channels Television where he said and I quote, “If some people are crying they are in darkness, they should go and hold those who vandalize the installations.” The two statements by these public servants raises questions as to what the duties of government is and if this individuals have a deep understanding of those functions. Is it too much for Nigerians to expect their government to provide fuel for them to buy with their own hard earned money? Or is it no longer the duty of government to provide basic amenities to the public and protect public properties?
There are a lot of questions begging for answers as far as the budget impasse is concerned, which both the National Assembly and the presidency need to clarify. For instance, The National Assembly in a statement by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, claimed that the Lagos-Calabar Rail project was never included in the budget sent to the National Assembly. However, the executive claimed to have submitted the project as a supplementary budget to the Senate Committee on Land Transportation, an assertion which was corroborated by the chairman of the committee, Senator Gbenga Ashafa. Questions that arise ranges from why such an important project will be omitted from the budget in the first place, why the executive did not follow the constitutional procedure for submission of a supplementary budget to the National Assembly, to why the National Assembly refuse to acknowledge the receipt of the allegedly submitted ‘supplementary budget.’ The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin also claimed that about N54 billion was found floating in the budget of the Ministry of Transportation. Obviously, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister for Transportation, needs to explain to the nation the reasons for that.
Now that the president is back from his laudable trip to China, I expect that he pays particular attention to the budget and address the nation concerning the issues that rented the air in his absence. I am sure president Buhari is aware that the delay in passing the budget is affecting the progress of critical sectors of the nation’s socio-economic development. A very good example is the NYSC 2016 Batch A Orientation camp which according to the former Director General of the scheme cannot commence until the federal government releases funds. Many of the graduates due for this Batch A scheme have graduated over a year ago. The progress of their journey in life has been virtually placed on hold by the delay in the commencement of the service to their nation, since most of them cannot conveniently pursue their career without completing the one year scheme.
Adenekan is a creative writer, editor, public commentator, and linguist. He also tweets from @dara_adenekan1.
Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheCable.
Mr Dara Adenekan isn’t a serious individual at all. The Buhari administration did not pad the budget but some certain unscrupulous elements did. These unscrupulous elements have been doing this ‘padding’ for the past 16 years, but it took the Buhari-led administration to fish them out. The National Assembly should hide their heads in shame as they put personal interest over national interest by inputting some selfish inputs into the budget thereby removing the President’s legacy projects such as the Lagos-Calabar rail.
The president has always had the best interest of the country at heart and he has always spoken to us to be patient. He never insulted anyone and truthfully he cannot change the fuel situation over night. He was just being honest and that is the kind of leader we need, not one that gives false hope. The way Buhari has been handling the nation especially with his fight against corruption is one way to show that he is an extremely competent leader.
Dear Dara Adenekan speaking against the Buhari-led administration in such a rash manner is saddening. It seems you have a personal grouse against the person of Mr President and you chose to use the medium of a pen to show it. That aside, the padding was done by ‘corrupt’ civil servants who have engaged in such for donkey years without being ‘fished out’. You should be glad that Buhari caught them and did the needful by relieving them of their duties.
Watching from a far, I have come to realise that Buhari’s critics can fall under any of the following categories: First, are the career Jonathanians or GEJites as they are now popularly known. Leading this pack is our dear Femi Aribisala. In fact one of these people had openly written that he will not accept Buhari as his President. These people were so sure that their boss or hero will win no matter the costs. They “prophesised” that Buhari will never “smell” Aso Rock. In fact, Aribisala once wrote under the title: HOW TO LOSE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOUR TIMES in one of his columns stating his reasons why Buhari would lose the fourth time. If wishes were horse, they say, men will ride. How time flies. Anyways, they are foremost among Buhari’s critics. The latest among these Wailing Wailers includes the TUC!
Dear Dara Adenekan speaking against the Buhari-led administration in such a rash manner is saddening. It seems you have a personal grouse against the person of Mr President and you chose to use the medium of a pen to show it. That aside, the padding was done by ‘corrupt’ civil servants who have engaged in such for donkey years without being ‘fished out’. You should be glad that Buhari caught them and did the needful by relieving them
This is not what we expect from citizens at a time like this when we need to support our president and rally round him to get what we really need at a time like this. Buhari has shown through numerous ways that he is competent
It is quite disheartening that someone woulkd sit down and write this without examining what it really entails. We should be patrieotic in what we do and not allow things to go out of hand
Buhari is our man, at least from his recent moves to revamp the economy. The way I see it, we would have a better Nigeria after a few months. Lets rally round and support him. He still has a lot to do and the budget is only the first way to prove this
We should support our own in whatever way possible and not start all unncessary insinuations in order for us not to deprive ourselves of the goods that would come ourt of this buhari administration in due course
You wrote and I quote: “Buhari and those running the government with him should bury their heads in shame by now.” For what exactly? Number one, you have no idea of what governance and leadership is and your article is based on disjointed knowledge of the real fact to Buhari’s government. Buhari’s antecedents and the current administration is nothing compared to what we’ve had in the past 16-year PDP rule, ponder on this!
There was no point in time President Buhari shied away from his responsibility as the head of state, neither has he relented from informing/addressing Nigerians about the state of affairs; therefore it is absolutely contemptuous to instigate that our President avoids public conversation.
Since you know better and can perform the duties of the head of state, why not just take over the reign of affairs from our dear President. You are nothing but a fraud and an attention seeker. Mind you, President Buhari is too busy attending to very important matters in the country, rather than focus on falsehood from distractions.
President Buhari has never been silent on critical issued and challenges facing the country, you are biased on these summations. You need to be objective in your criticism, if you indeed have your facts, but obviously, this is just a farce that will fade in seconds. Perhaps you need to be schooled about how effective and productive this administration has been.