Citizens Wealth Platform (CWP), a non-governmental organisation has called on the National Assembly to eliminate all “inappropriate, unclear and frivolous expenditure from the 2014 budget, this would see to the reduction of about N295.32 billion from the N4.91 trillion budget proposed by the federal government.
Convener of the CWP, Mr Eze Onyekpere, who stated this at a media parley in Abuja, also called on the legislators to ensure proper alignment of the expenditure proposals with the tag of the budget as contained in the presidents’ address.
“The 2014 federal budget is tagged a budget of job creation and inclusive growth. We seek to find a link between the proposals for expenditure, the policies and governmental actions and the tag of job creation and inclusive growth.”
He noted that in the past Nigeria has had budgets of consolidation, growth, hope and so on but nothing changed after the implementation of such budgets. “We are still searching and Nigeria wants to see the link. Poverty is deepening, inequality is the order of the day, unemployment is growing and spreading for the majority of the populace in the country,” he stated.
The CWP noted that N220.32 billion could be saved if the inappropriate, unclear and frivolous expenditures were expunged from the Line Items of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government , including the Presidency.
“Why is virtually every MDA asking for money for uniforms, welfare etc? Why would MDAs continue playing with words like “rehabilitation”, “maintenance”, and “repairs” and using them as different expenditure heads to get money out of the Treasury?”
The group also queried the provision of N1.5 billion for the purchase of a new Aircraft for the Presidential Fleet when there are already 10 planes within the fleet.
“Who needs a new presidential aircraft in the midst of popular despair? If the money is not stolen, who changes furniture, fittings computers and software every year in his personal house from his hard earned money?” Onyekpere queried.