Press Release
Today adds another day that Nigeria is in recession and from all indications, it appears that the leadership of our country is not proving to be capable or properly equipped with the right persons to lead us out of a recession.
Recent divisions in the policy positions in the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria has shown that not only do the two main institutions furnished with the persons leading this path out of the economic recession disagree on the way we should go in terms of monetary policy, the fiscal policy team is also focused on a different way from the monetary policy team as a solution to the current recession.
As reforms continue to happen in the public sector in terms of government efficiency led by the Bureau of Public Service Reform, We are convinced that this commendable reforms which include ensuring cuts in government expenditure on how civil servants run the presidency and their agencies need to extend to political office holders in what is an URGENT need for political office reforms.
The National Assembly which just resumed from their long recess which must be emphasized was extended for more than a week in an holiday that ordinary Nigerians took two days for, has started to raise its voice on what is to be done to get out of this recession.
These plans unfortunately do not involve a common-sensical cut in their bogus allowances in these hard times. These plans do not involve opening up their books to the public so we can be aware of how a one line item of over 100 billion is being allocated to not up to 500 Nigerians.
Their plans do not involve a cut in the salaries of their aides or reduction in the number of their assistants whose jobs are to duplicate roles and unfortunately, the RMAFC whose role is to determine the salaries and allowances of political office holders in tandem with the state of the nation does not seem to be aware that the country is in recession.
The very important trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly does not also reflect the mood of our nation. The Minister of Finance had said a circular was sent out to inform those who do not have important meetings on particular days to stay behind till the days of their meetings but this apparently does not involve the President’s Wife, her aides and their children who are reportedly on a vacation to the UNGA event.
As a matter of fact, we will be sending an FOI request to the Presidency to ascertain the number of dignitaries on the payroll of the government to this event.
As if to convince Nigerians that we are directly responsible for the recession that bites us day after day, the Ministry of Information’s #ChangeBeginsWithMe campaign which reportedly gulped a whooping N3.4billion was also an unnecessary expensive sermon that was preached to the wrong audience. The cost of such sermon is also instructive about the priorities of this government.
In what is now an anthem for those at the helms of affairs, there is need for more ‘powers’ or to be specific, an amendment in the legislation that binds procurements, public contracts, advertisements and a host of other issues identified as bottlenecks to facilitate the effects of the funds being injected into the economy. The argument that has been officially adopted is that these laws are made for usual times and these are unusual times.
These are indeed UNUSUAL times and there is an URGENT need for speeding up processes.
The Presidency should therefore speed up the meetings of the committee that has been put in charge of selling most of the jets in the presidential fleet. The RMAFC should therefore be alerted that the salaries and allowances and number of aides of our political officers cannot remain the same in these UNUSUAL times. If the Bureau of Public Service Reforms is ensuring that civil servants are living within low means and are applying a lot of pressure to achieve efficiency because these are UNUSUAL times, political office holders need to expediently follow suit.
The itinerary of Mr President also needs to feel that these are UNUSUAL times and that the many trips of Mr President which we must say he is now accustomed to MUST stop and those who do not have official business on trips should be left out including aides and the numerous state governors who might want more international exposure.
If these are unusual times, the first point of feeling this effect should not be the masses whose suffering and smiling has always been usual since time immemorial, the first point of feeling the effect should be the politicians who are currently in power and are treated to the most ridiculous menus and luxuries of life available in our country. We cannot be looking at reducing bottlenecks when there are still numerous bottle-holes.
As for the Bureau of Public Service Reform, the Directorate might want to take into cognizance that the wage bill for the Nigerian Civil Service has more than doubled in the last 10 years since 2005 without a significant increase in the roles and responsibilities of workers of the Federal Government so that when they are done with eradicating GHOST workers using the technology that is now available, we can move over to the issue of CLONED workers as these are UNUSUAL times.
To fellow Nigerian citizens, there is no other time to prove that we are a resilient nation, that in spite of what effects we might be suffering from the recession, we would bounce back with the hope that a leadership for the people will one day arise for the betterment of us all.
O! God of Creation
Guide our Leaders Right
May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Jude ‘Feranmi
National Youth Leader, KOWA PARTY (On Behalf of the National Executive Council)
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