The Centre for Social Justice (CENSOJ), a not-for-profit organisation, has described the annual budget proposal for the presidency as a huge waste.
The federal government earmarked N150 billion for the presidency in the 2022 budget, including N135 million for meals and N2 billion for international trips.
Eze Onyekpere, executive director of CENSOJ, speaking at a media dialogue while presenting the organisation’s 2022 budget assessment said: “Nigeria is going through an economic and fiscal crisis where its retained revenue simply pays for debt service and the bulk of the resources required for personnel, overhead and capital expenditure is borrowed,”
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“The revenues are simply inadequate to fund fundamental expenditure, therefore, every available fund should be spent with the greatest value for money, tied to a high-level national policy framework and aimed at improving livelihoods, growing the economy, reducing poverty and inequality.
“It is against this background that the pullout of frivolous, inappropriate, unclear and wasteful expenditure calls the attention of the executive, legislature, private sector, civil society including the media to these frivolities at a time of grave national crisis.
“According to the 2022 budget call circular, resources are to be allocated based on actual needs, in line with the immediate needs of the country as well as government’s developmental objectives and priorities. Starting from the presidency’s state house headquarters, the pullout calls on the leadership to lead by example.
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“Spending billions of naira every year on routine maintenance of statehouse facilities is a huge waste. All statutory transfers are stated as lump-sum provisions without details. No person, government agency or organisation has the right in a constitutional democracy to spend public funds in a way and manner that is unknown to the ultimate sovereigns, being the taxpayers and citizens.
“There is no law authorising this kind of budgeting. It is unconstitutional, illegal, unethical, inappropriate. The details should be provided to Nigerians.”
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