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Electronic mail: yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

A whopping N1.7 trillion! Sure, that’s the quantity of tax payers’ cash injected into the facility sector within the final 5 years as intervention fund by the Buhari authorities; but, there is no such thing as a corresponding enchancment in electrical energy provide. This determine was unveiled throughout a latest public listening to on “the facility sector restoration plan and affect of COVID-19 pandemic,” organised by the Senate Committee on Energy. I assumed, maybe, there was a mistake someplace and that the Government would come out to debunk the statistic. However over two weeks after, this has not occurred; that means we are able to go along with this determine.

The contribution of Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, through the inquiry was instructive. He mentioned: “Authorities can not afford to simply spend cash that you just hardly perceive why it’s given… We need to be very essential on how funds are given to privatised enterprises. We anticipate that by now, our degree of technology, transmission and distribution would have been much better.”

It’s so miserable that Nigeria nonetheless wallows in darkness. There’s nothing for this authorities to defend on this N1.7 trillion expenditure on energy, even when it makes public who bought what, when, why and the way. This spending is unjustifiable as a result of there is no such thing as a end result, whereas large funds move to a sector already privatised. Did the businessmen who personal 60% of those energy companies put on this a lot cash into them? Many really feel there may be fraud someplace on this Nigerian energy enterprise. I additionally really feel the identical manner. The main points of this authorities’s energy outlay will solely come into the open when it completes its tenure in 2023. Absolutely, it is going to be greater than this N1.7 trillion disclosed.

Let’s flip over to bills on the provocative Faculty Feeding Programme of the Buhari authorities. Our youngsters have been fed with N196.6 billion because the inception of the programme in 2016, so says the federal authorities. Even with COVID-19 lockdown and faculties shut, our blessed youngsters are nonetheless being fed at dwelling.

These youngsters are certainly fortunate; 9 million of them in all. Giving a breakdown of the expenditure just lately, the Particular Adviser to the President on the Faculty Feeding Programme, Dr. Dotun Adebayo, mentioned the full sum dedicated to the programme from 2016 to 2018 was N186.1 billion. He mentioned N10.four billion was launched for the programme in 2020, “whereas the full spent in feeding our children stood at N196.6 billion in 5 years.”

The Home of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts was not impressed with Dr. Adebayo’s presentation and resolved to summon the Governor of the Central Financial institution of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and the Director Normal of the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics, Yemi Kale, to look and tender data of funds/particulars of the 9 million youngsters and 84,000 faculties throughout the nation benefiting from the varsity feeding programme.

The Chairman of the Committee, Wole Oke, frowned on the breach of the Public Procurement Act through the implementation of the programme and demanded for related authorisations from the Bureau of Public Procurement. He additionally demanded for budgetary approvals for the scheme from inception, in addition to the lists of colleges, areas, cooks and full particulars of expenditure.

The funds per little one is N70. No marvel the children I noticed in Osun State “having fun with” the feeding got parts incapable of satisfying birds. Simply N70 per little one and the scheme has gulped N196.6 billion in 5 years. It’s curious; our children are evidently not getting any end result. Nigerian lawmakers should probe deeper to fish out guys which were feeding themselves with our kids’s college feeding cash.

Spending on the N-Energy Scheme, one other arm of FG’s Social Funding Programme, has additionally been puzzling. N-Energy is a youth empowerment scheme that gives a platform for younger Nigerians to accumulate abilities. There’s additionally the N-Energy Volunteer Corps, a post-tertiary engagement initiative for teenagers with two-year length. Members within the schemes are entitled to a month-to-month stipend. This scheme has gulped N421 billion from 2016 to 2020, so says the federal authorities; however complaints of unpaid stipends pour each day. Over 11,000 N-Energy beneficiaries haven’t been paid since January 2020. The statistics of contributors can be contentious.

That was why the Home of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts queried the bills on N-Energy when its managers just lately appeared earlier than it. There have been additionally discrepancies within the figures declared. When requested to present account of the quantity expended thus far, in opposition to what they’ve on paper that the company had expended N474 billion on the scheme since its inception, N-Energy’s Assistant Director (Administration), said that N421 billion was what they really expended thus far. Okon pointed to a typographic error on the final web page of his submission, ensuing within the amended determine of N421 billion.

Nervous by the inconsistency within the paperwork introduced to the Home of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts, its Chairman, Oluwole Oke argued that N-Energy was out to “ambush the Parliament”. Oke declared: “Can we see your whole for 2017 monetary yr? Can we see your whole expenditure for 2018 monetary yr, vis-a-vis 2019 monetary yr and for the interval of January to Might 2020? Can we see your publicity from this your submission?” He additionally demanded for particulars of the salaries of the N-Energy officers. Properly, the lawmakers are nonetheless ready for solutions. Oke has since directed all of the lawmakers to go to their numerous constituencies and confirm the main points of all of the beneficiaries of N-Energy listed, with a view to making sure accountability.

Except for the truth that expenditures on electrical energy, N-Energy, and faculty feeding are ludicrous, many will agree with me that this nation has not been getting the specified end result. I sincerely hope that these in control of these spending will amend their methods and re-direct the funds in direction of productive ventures. We’ve got had sufficient of this hogwash college feeding programme and never-ending bills on privatised energy corporations.

Lagos Speaker Has to Go

It was heart-warming seeing members of the Civil Society Community Towards Corruption (CISNAC) protesting on the Lagos workplace of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee in opposition to the Speaker of the state’s Home of Meeting, Mudashiru Obasa.

They ultimately submitted a compelling petition on Tuesday, and demanded that the EFCC ought to dig into the corruption allegations in opposition to Obasa and his cronies.

The Coordinator of CISNAC, Shina Odugbemi, informed the Head of the anti-graft company in Lagos, Mohammed Rabo: “Our mission right here this morning is to current you a letter about a difficulty in Lagos State. In every single place is awash with the accusation that the Speaker of Lagos Home of Meeting is squandering cash. We decide points and we be certain that we observe points to logical conclusions. This is among the steps. We’ve got come right here right this moment to current to you our petition that comprises a list of allegations… What we’re in opposition to is that within the Lagos State Home of Meeting, there’s a conspiracy to comb these items beneath the carpet.”

I problem different civil society teams to affix the marketing campaign to drive Obasa out of workplace. The profligacy, mismanagement and corruption within the Lagos Home are horrifying. Right here, now we have lawmakers junketing overseas for all kinds of seminars, losing large assets on frivolous issues; abuse of workplace, spending N61 million on its inauguration, internet hosting the Convention of Nigerian Audio system with N350 million, dipping arms into public purse and issuing N80 million to their wives for an absurd journey to Dubai, monetary misappropriation, utilizing pseudo corporations to get inflated contracts and all kinds of rubbish. That is taking place in a state with a lot poverty and Obasa is the person coordinating these misdemeanors. This coldblooded Speaker typically echoes that cash is supposed to be spent as a result of he has N550 million to squander month-to-month. Obasa has to step apart to finish these tomfooleries.

The opinion of Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Head of Transparency Worldwide in Nigeria on the “Lagos Home of Corruption” is helpful. He mentioned: “It’s saddening that N80 million could be spent on such an occasion (journey to Dubai for his or her wives) when the well being and schooling sectors within the state are in shambles. An act may nonetheless be deemed as corrupt even whether it is authorised formally. If this isn’t corruption, what would you name this?

“The reality is that there’s something referred to as official stealing, looting and diversion of funds and it’s taking place throughout Nigeria and what the Lagos Meeting has achieved is simply to inform you what’s going on in different states. It is usually a mirrored image of what’s taking place on the federal degree as a result of states normally emulate the federal. Nigeria’s democracy has been hijacked by these stealing the funds meant for growth. Think about what number of communities in Lagos would have clear water if that cash was spent on growth? Think about if the cash was utilized in equipping a major well being centre? Why spend it on legislators’ wives?”

The Chairman of Coalition in opposition to Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, provides: “For me, it isn’t actually the N80 million that issues however the truth that the state will not be imagined to spend a dime on the wives of lawmakers who usually are not even elected officers. These legislators are already receiving outrageous allowances which should cater for his or her households. They should clarify to us why it was necessary for the wives of lawmakers, girls who weren’t elected, to be educated in Dubai.”

Federal Character and Ministry of Inside’s Companies

At the moment, I’m specializing in the businesses beneath the Federal Ministry of Inside, as I proceed my expose on the never-ending lack of respect for our federal character legislation by the Buhari authorities. All of the businesses beneath the Ministry of Inner Affairs are headed by folks from a piece of the nation. This has by no means occurred in all our years as a rustic. Right here we go: Comptroller Normal, Nigeria Correction Providers, Jaafar Ahmed; Comptroller Normal, Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede; Controller Normal, Federal Fireplace Service, Liman Ibrahim and Commandant Normal, Nigeria Safety and Civil Defence Corp, Abdullahi Muhammadu.

These are the information and figures. On the Ministry of Inside, it’s 4 out of 4 for only a part of the nation. Buhari’s appointments are evidently skewed. We should all insist on respect for our federal character legislation within the curiosity of this stunning nation. The story continues subsequent week.

Ali Ndume is Making Sense

The person who represents Borno South within the Senate, Ali Ndume speaks the reality irrespective of whose ox is gored. Ndume has been impactful within the final 5 years within the Nationwide Meeting. A former Senate Chief, who’s at current the Chairman, Senate Committee on Military, declared final Sunday that federal lawmakers and different extremely positioned public officers “are incomes luxurious wages” to the detriment of Nigerian plenty and should amend their methods.

Ndume preaches that the excessive price of working a presidential democracy is now not reasonable. He mentioned: “We’ve got a funds of N10 trillion and solely 30 per cent goes to the bulk, whereas 70 per cent is spent on the minority. The system we’re practising now will not be honest both morally or socially. Within the present system, employees usually are not being paid residing wages, whereas a privileged few are incomes luxurious wages. The Nationwide Meeting members, together with me, as an illustration, are paid luxurious wages.

“How can we reside comfortably when only some of us reside a lifetime of luxurious whereas the bulk resides in abject poverty? The N30,000 minimal wage is just too small; it might make employees have interaction in corruption to be able to survive.”

Thumbs up for Ndume, the warrior from Gwoza.