Tribune Online
  • Home
  • #NigeriaElections2023
  • News
  • Columns
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • #NigeriaElections2023
  • News
  • Columns
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
Tribune Online
No Result
View All Result

Let’s face it: ₦37 billion on renovating National Assembly is beyond absurd

by
January 29, 2020
in Opinions
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
NASS to receive report, NASS begs Governors, Supreme Court Act. Parliamentary workers vow to address insecurity at National Assembly, NASS clerk free, Terror alert: Operation stop-and-search begins at NASS on Monday, Opposition parties' lawmakers hold close-door meeting on Buhari's impeachment, Rehabilitation of NASS Complex to gulp N30.22bn, PASAN threatens to shut down National Assembly on Monday, Women to protest over non-passage of gender equality bill on Tuesday, food must be enshrined, NASS berates NUPENG, tanker drivers over N621bn road fund diversion allegation, Flight delays, cancellations will no longer be tolerated, Security beef-up as NASS workers picket offices over unpaid national minimum wage, request for autonomy for NIWA, NASS adopts direct primaries, You must make polling units accessible, National Assembly appeals to doctors, Stakeholders warn NASS, Pass referendum, families of fallen heroes, South-East NASS caucus, Security beefed up at National Assembly, Executive order 10, bill resume plenary Tuesday, Legislative aides demand payment, NASS postpones resumption, effective procurement policy, legislative electoral and constitutional reforms, NASS 2021 budget presentation, gender based violence, NASS level 10 staff, NASS resumption, Outlaw ‘ridiculous’ taxes, Proposed constitutional review, commission, retirement age, 65, 35, 40, NDDC, NASS, corruption evidence, assembly, age, bill, workforce, SIP, National Assembly, bill, Amnesty, Reps

Now that the remarkable decision by the President to approve ₦37 billion ($100 million) for the renovation of the National Assembly complex in the 2020 budget seems to be cooling off, perhaps, it is time to lay down the reality of the matter.

Despite arguments from lawmakers to justify this renovation, such a financial undertaking at this time would be unwise for the country, especially as it faces more urgent callings. The country’s infrastructure deficit is ever-growing and the majority of the population still languishes in poverty. What would be the need for a state-of-the-art building for lawmakers while the country is begging to be fixed? Instead, the money allocated for the renovation—this also despite the National Assembly having an existing maintenance budget—should be spent on improving major highways, the dilapidated educational and healthcare system. Nigerians would not stop echoing these alternatives.

Although Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, it still largely depends on loans to fund infrastructure projects, which interestingly, the president plans to increase by 103 per cent. The fact that the country, despite its good revenue from oil over the years, still depend on loans to fund infrastructure projects, should teach some prudence. Among which is not to lavish billions of public funds on a government building.

Related Posts

Appeal Court sacks 16 PDP state lawmakers, five National Assembly members

Tinubu seeks National Assembly’s approval for 2024-2026 MTEF/FSP

Presidency yet to transmit 2024-2026 MTEF/FSP to National Assembly

ALSO READ: Sokoto to partner Britain on rejunevation of state legal system

In the budget, the president approved ₦37 billion for the legislative house. On the other hand, though, the agency responsible for maintaining the roads, the Nigerian roads, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), only has ₦36.6 billion in its budget for 2020. How do we expect FERMA to fix our roads with the same amount of money the president is giving the lawmakers to fix one complex? Pressure should be put where it is due.

Equally ironic is the fact that the 2020 budget only includes a mere ₦48 billion for the Ministry of Education’s capital expenditure. This is more appalling considering over 70 million of the country is categorized as illiterate. In this context, the education sector would benefit from the money being squandered on the legislative house. Any serious country would take education more seriously than investing in a luxury building. But Nigeria’s healthcare is also in neglect.

Only ₦2,000 ($5) is allocated per citizen in the 2020 budget. In isolation, though, ₦427.3 billion sounds like a lot, whereas, it is certainly not. This considering the same fund is expected to cover research, training, staff salary, facilities upgrade, and equipment procurement. The 2020 budget only left some ₦44.5 billion in capital expenditure for healthcare, which is barely a ₦7.5billion difference from what the National Assembly would gulp.

Clearly, something seems amiss.

If the budget allocations of the previous administrations were considered more objectively and prudently, perhaps, Nigeria would not be struggling with stable electricity supply and dealing with hundreds of auto accident fatalities annually as a result of bad roads? The misappropriation of public funds and the looting of public treasury combined with this extravagant spending would only drag the country through more awful development misery.

If this move is not stopped and checked, the Buhari administration would be setting a bad precedent for its successors. We cannot put the country’s development at the mercy of the lawmakers’ thirst for opulence.

Akinyemi Muhammed is a writing fellow at African Liberty and holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Ilorin. He is an alumnus of the African Presidential Leadership Programme, Cairo, and tweets via @theprincelyx.


Visa to Any Country. Visitor Visa. Student Visa. Tourist Visa. Business. Schengen Visa. Dubai Visa. Permanent Residence. Immigration




Tags: national assembly
ShareTweetSendShareShare
Previous Post

Senate screens Obiora for CBN deputy governor position

Next Post

Suspected cultists allegedly kill young graduate in Benue

Most Read

  • FG approves promotion of 32,361 personnel of paramilitary services
    FG approves promotion of 32,361 personnel of paramilitary services
  • I studied for seven hours daily for four years — ACU best graduating student
    I studied for seven hours daily for four years — ACU best graduating student
  • CBN will freeze your accounts if you don't link your BVN-NIN
    CBN will freeze your accounts if you don't link your BVN-NIN
  • Speaker Abbas announces major shake-up of Standing Committees’ leadership 
    Speaker Abbas announces major shake-up of Standing Committees’ leadership 
  • Senate moves against govs over local governments
    Senate moves against govs over local governments
  • Olori Sekinat Elegushi drifts to Ibadan
    Olori Sekinat Elegushi drifts to Ibadan
  • Controversy trails Lagos LagRide Scheme as partners fight over vehicles
    Controversy trails Lagos LagRide Scheme as partners fight over vehicles
  • Three monarchs die, nine injured in Oyo road accidents
    Three monarchs die, nine injured in Oyo road accidents
  • How to stop judicial coups against democracy in Nigeria
    How to stop judicial coups against democracy in Nigeria
  • Police dislodge IPOB hideouts, parade 25 female suspects in Imo
    Police dislodge IPOB hideouts, parade 25 female suspects in Imo

Subscribe to e-Paper

E-Vending, e paper, pdf, e-paper, Tribune

Frontpage Today

EDITORIAL

Editorial
Opinion
Letters

BUSINESS

Capital Market
Money Market
Economy

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday Treat
Entertainment
Razzmattaz

REGIONS

South West
Niger Delta
Arewa

RELIGION

Tribune Church
Church News
Muslim Sermon
Eye of Islam
Islamic News
COLUMNS

Anike's Diary
Aplomb
Ask The Doctor
Autoclinic With The Mechanic
Awo's Thought
Borderless
Crucial Moment
Empowered For Life
Festus Adebayo's Flickers
Financewise
Gibbers
Intimacy
Language & Style
Leaders' Forum
Leadership & Management
Lynx Eye
Monday Lines
Mum & Child
Natural Health
Notes from Atlanta with Farooq Kperogi
On The Lord's Day
PENtagon
Political Panorama
Veritatem With Obadiah Mailafia
Voice of Courage
Whatsapp Conversation
You and Eye
Your Life Counts

WOMEN

Xquisite
Xquisite Food
Xquisite Style
Wondrous World of Women

MORE

Business Coach
Education
Event Digest
Crime & Court
Do It Yourself
Ecoscope
Property & Environment
Energy
Maritime
Aviation
Brands & Marketing
Agriculture
Info Tech
Labour
Leadership & Management
Achievers
Arewa Live
Arts & Culture
Arts & Reviews
Campus Beat
Politics
Health News
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Tribune Advertisement Rates

© 2023 Tribune Online - an online publication of African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc. All rights reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • #NigeriaElections2023
  • News
  • Columns
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Opinions

© 2023 Tribune Online - an online publication of African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc. All rights reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist