NASS And Presidency To Spend Over A Billion in 2014

According to the 2014 budget proposal presented to the National Assembly, the National Assembly and the Presidency alone have been allocated the sum of N183 billion (over a Billion Dollars) for recurrent expenditure for the year.

The Presidency plans to spend at least N2.3 billion on local and international travels and transportation next year.

The proposal is contained in the 2014 appropriation bill submitted by President Goodluck Jonathan through the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to the National Assembly last week.

A breakdown of the figure showed that the State House would require the sum of N1.2b for what it called Local Travels. International travels and transportation will gulp N1.15b.

For the whole year, the Presidency intends to spend N200 million for the provision of foodstuffs/catering supplies while it also plans to expend another N162,556,500 on meals and refreshments.

For honorarium and sitting allowances, the Presidency has budgeted a princely sum of N320 million for that purpose just as it has set aside the sum of N33.8 million for the office of the Vice-President to take care of his foodstuffs and catering supplies as well as meals and refreshments in the year.

Under the arrangement, N23.8 million will go for foodstuffs and catering supplies while the balance of N10 million will be spent on meals and refreshments in the office of the Vice-President.

The total amount budgeted for the Presidency is said to be around N33b.

In the same vein, the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is expected to spend the sum of over half a billion on honorarium and another N51 million will be spent on meals and refreshments within the fiscal period.

A careful review of the budget proposals however showed that the Presidency shied away from making any provision for the controversial Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, whose head, Arunma Oteh, has been embroiled in a ceaseless war with the National Assembly.

The lawmakers had vowed not to approve any budget for the commission until Oteh was removed but President Jonathan ignored them and their resolution.

In the same vein, the Federal Government made the same yearly provision of N150 billion for the National Assembly but did not give any breakdown of the sum.

It is not clear if the NASS would be in a hurry to pass the budget given the furore that attended the presentation of the document.

Controversy had mounted to the extent that President Jonathan had to back out of the presentation and later sent the Finance Minister to represent him

Where Was Nigeria at Mandela’s Funeral?

There has been a lot of talk on Nigeria’s cyberspace about the attention (or lack of) Nigeria received at the ceremonies that followed Nelson Mandela’s demise.

Nigerians have not failed to notice that our president, Goodluck Jonathan, who was present at the memorial service was not given any form of acknowledgement at the event where President Barack Obama of the US was given the podium to give a eulogy.

Nigerians were quick to point out that while the US and the UK were supporting apartheid Nigeria was at the forefront of the fight to end the evil political system.

The complaint goes on and on.

It appears that we are the only ones who do not realise the fact that we have been consigned to the dustbin of history, thanks to our leaders.

After South Africa embraced multi-party democracy, Mandela sworn in as the first democratically elected president they made giant strides not only in the continent but also in the world.

Mandela in particular made sure that he lived above board and set a fine example for leaders all over the world to follow.

Mandela has become the yardstick with which the world measures political transparency.

Most people are quick to mention the fact that he refused to run for a second term in office. 

Since Mandela’s release from prison on the other hand, Nigeria has moved from military dictatorship to civilian profligacy; complete disrespect for the Rule of Law under military dictatorship has been replaced with unbridled corruption under civilian rule and government by electoral fraud has simply replaced unconstitutional military dictatorship.

Yet we complain that we were not recognised at Mandela’s funeral. The old man would have been disappointed at the present ANC leadership had Nigeria’s president been given the podium to speak at the memorial ceremony.

While South Africans were still celebrating the life of one of the greatest statesmen in the last two hundred years an ex-president and the incumbent one are engaged in a power tussle with Nigerians taking sides with one or the other.

Yet we complain that we were not recognised at Mandela’s funeral. The important dignitaries would probably have laughed at the organisers had the podium been given to our president.

Respect is not demanded for but earned. If we want to be respected at the world stage we have to earn it and not throw tantrums like a child every time we get what we deserve.