09102019 - 2020: Buhari presents N10.33trn job creation budget to NASS

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 — 43
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Chief Emeka Anyoku (3rd left);Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State
(middle), with some Igbo leaders at Emeka Anyaoku 9th Annual Lecture Series,
in Owerri, Imo State capital.
When Imo rolled out the
red carpet for Anyaoku
By Chidi Nkwopara,
Owerri
LET us begin this narrative by
mentioning a few truisms here.
It is not very clear why the
management chose Imo State, to
host the 9th Chief Emeka Anyaoku
Lecture Series.
What can be said from the
mountain tops and with finality is
that Governor Emeka Ihedioha
never lobbied for the hosting of this
year’s lecture.
The planning continued and
Thursday, October 3, 2019, Imo
State government rolled out the
red carpet for the former Secretary
General of the Commonwealth
Nations, and a respected Igbo
son, Chief Emeka Anyaoku!
Since the conclusion of the
event, some sworn critics of the
Ihedioha administration have not
ceased to query, as usual, the
implications, benefits and possible
implications of hosting the 2019
Lecture Series with the theme:
“Youth And Challenges Of Nation
Development.”
First to give an insight into the
implications of hosting a renowned
international personality in Imo
State, is Ihedioha’s aide, Mazi
Ogubundu Nwadike.
His words: “A Google of the 9th
Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series
reveals so much background
information about the roles of the
Lecture Series to the wider society.
And quite importantly, it reveals
the colossal personality and dignity
of the great Nigerian,, Chief
Emeka Anyaoku.
“It then dawns on you why any
society chosen to host any
particular edition of the Emeka
Anyaoku Lecture Series is
regarded as an honoured and
blessed society. To that extent, Imo
State was penciled down among
honoured and blessed societies,
and if you like, among the comity
of States in Nigeria.
“The coming on Thursday,
October 3, 2019, to Imo State of a
global, international personality
and dignitary of the status of the
octogenarian, Chief Emeka
Anyaoku, was like the State
climbing an iroko tree. It was like
showing the world the friend of the
State. It was like the visit of the
Angels to Abraham, which led to
the birth of Isaac, Jacob/Israel down
to Jesus Christ the Saviour of the
world.
“There’s no gainsaying that the
singular privilege of hosting the
event in Imo State and the
distinguished globally acclaimed
administrator, Chief Emeka
Anyaoku, attending in person was
a positive historical plus for Imo
State. The significances, the
implications and the benefits are
monumental both for yesterday,
today and tomorrow.
“Considering the theme of the
9th Emeka Anyaoku Lecture
Series, which was: “Youth And
Challenges Of Nation
Development”, youths in Imo
State will be the best for it if they
take time to review the take homes
from the two lectures delivered by
two eminent and prominent
Nigerians, Distinguished Senator
Shehu Sani and Dr. Reuben
Abati.”
Another truism is that the two
lecturers, who were chosen to
tackle this year’s assignment, are
not by any means, cheap.
Whichever way anybody may look
at the duo, they are definitely
erudite, patriotic and respected
Nigerian citizens and they did a
good job of the task.
Kingship crisis brews in Nri,
the acclaimed cradle of Igbo
civilisation
Continues from page
42
authority and power in
Nri kingdom and it was
Uruofolo that gave Uruoji
village where it settled
within Nise community
after they fought Nise over
land. It was also Uruofolo
that gave Agbadani village
and Diodo lands they are
occupying to date. So,
nobody can argue against
it and it is therefore their
turn to produce the next
king.
“It amounts to absolute
marginalization when
Uruoji, Agbadani, Obeagu
and Diodo have produced
kings and now that it is
supposed to be shifted to
Uruofolo by right, some
people have started
Setting the ball rolling, Senator
Sani, after taking a hard look at
the sagging fortunes of Nigerian
youths, advised that government
must see the need to put in place
policies that will drive youth
empowerment and development.
For him, Nigerian youths must
learn to eschew the spirit of getrich-quick
and imbibe hardwork,
which propelled the Chief
Anyaoku to excel in his youthful
days.
Obviously expanding the
sound thoughts of Senator Sani,
Dr. Abati said: “It’s regrettable that
65% of over 80 million youth
population in the country is
unemployed, while 25% of the
youth population is
underemployed. This poses serious
danger, which is capable of
generating tension and crisis in the
country.”
A simple Arithmetic of Abati’s
postulation gave a staggering
result and South East Voice heard
when some members of the
audience described the figure as
“a huge time bomb waiting to
explode”.
When Governor Ihedioha
mounted the rostrum, the
narratives changed. He simply told
his administration’s story.
playing pranks. I wish to
see any person that can
swear over this matter the
way I have sworn.”
Are you, in essence,
advocating for the rotation
of the kingship in Nri?
Yes, that is what I am
saying and that is what it
is supposed to be. No
matter the tricks they will
adopt or conspiracy
between the moneybags
and the Anambra State
government, it will never
work this time. What
everyone needs and
expects in the entire
community is the rotational
kingship. No village or
villages should take the
kingship as exclusive
preserve of their
generations and
generations unborn.
Buhari presents N10.33trn job creation
budget
Continues from Page 41
With this road map we have
set, we will have presentation
of the report of the Appropriations
Committee on
November 28. Our expectation
is that we want to be
done with this exercise on
November 28, 2019. Our
idea is that from the beginning
of December 2019, the
budget is ready. “
APC confident of early
passage of budget
Meanwhile, the All Progressives
Congress, APC,
has hailed President Buhari
for efforts to return Nigeria
to the January-December
budget cycle, noting that the
National Assembly had
nearly three months to consider
and pass the budget.
It said following the presentation
of the 2020 Appropriation
Bill to a joint
session of the National Assembly
yesterday by the
President, the party welcomed
the commitment of
both the executive and legislative
arms to ensure budget
passage was returned
to January-December cycle.
“To put this into effect,
our party notes the early
presentation by the President,
leaving the lawmakers
near three months to
consider and pass the budget,”
APC said in the statement
issued by its National
Publicity Secretary, Mallam
Lanre Issa-Onilu.
The party “congratulated
the President and all APC
members on the early presentation
of the proposed
2020 Budget of a record
N10.33 trillion which surpasses
the N8.916 trillion
budgeted for 2019.”
According to the APC,
“the proposed 2020 budget
is targeted at consolidating
on the gains the current
administration has made in
revamping our power, rail
and road infrastructure; diversification
and retooling
the economy; social intervention
programmes targeted
at the poor; fight
against emerging crimes,
insurgency and rehabilitation,
rebuilding of the
North East, particularly
through the newly-established
North East Development
Commission,
among other critical interventions.
“According to the President
in his budget speech,
tagged ‘Budget of sustaining
growth and job creation’,
there is a renewed
government’s commitment
to plugging revenue leakage
with the continued
strict implementation of the
Treasury Single Account,
TSA.
“We congratulate the
leaders of the two chambers
of the 9th National Assembly,
Senate President,
Ahmad Lawan, and speaker
of the House of Representatives,
Femi Gbajabiamila,
for creating a convivial
environment for the
budget presentation exercise,
a welcomed departure
from the usual tensed
and adversarial atmosphere
of the previous four
years.
“The party is confident
that the patriotic disposition
of the leaders and
members of the 9th National
Assembly would
ensure a cordial relationship
with the executive
arm, which would surely
translate to good governance
and proper implementation
of the administration’s
Next Level plans
for Nigerians.’’
2020 budget heavy travel
bag but empty in substance
– CUPP
However, the Coalition
of United Political Parties,
CUPP, described the 2020
Budget as lacking substance
and vowed to challenge
the planned increment
in the Value Added
Tax,VAT,by the Federal
Government in court.
CUPP particularly said
the budget was similar to
a heavy travelling bag
that has no substance in
it
İn a statement issued by
its Spokesman, Ikenga
Ugochinye, yesterday, the
CUPP said: “The Coalition
of United Political Parties,
CUPP, having listened
critically to President
Buhari’s 2020 Appropriation
Bill as presented
to the joint session of the
National Assembly on
Tuesday, regrets to inform
Nigerians that the days of
the nation’s suffering are
not any way close to an
end.
‘’The President has by
today’s budget presentation
shown that he has no
formula to save the nation’s
economy from the
impending final ruins that
his mismanagement has
caused.
“Opposition parties see
this fiscal document as
empty document that is
not worth the paper on
which it was written. It is
full of rhetoric; Buhari’s
appropriation bill can best
be described as a heavy
travel bag that is empty in
substance or value.
“The CUPP notes that
this document is a final
weapon to consolidate
Buhari’s next level of economic
ruins, poverty, looting
and visionlessness. It
is a come and chop document
meant to further impoverish
many and prosper
the privileged few.
“The Opposition rejects
the inclusion of the illegal
proposed increment in
VAT as part of the 2020
budget expected source of
funding. This has shown
that the budget is built in
the sky with no serious
source of funding except
taxing the people to
death.
“The opposition coalition
has therefore resolved
to head to court this week
to stop the planned insensitive
move to tax the suffering
citizens of Nigeria
to death with the proposed
increment in VAT
from 5% to over 7%. The
president should not force
the suffering citizens to
bear the consequences of
his leadership failures.”
Reacting to the budget
presentation, Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
said the N10.7 trillion 2020
budget presented by President
Muhammadu Buhari
to the National Assembly
would further impoverish
Nigerians and
mortgage the future of the
nation and its citizens.
The party also urged the
legislature to redirect the
fiscal proposal to serve the
interest of the vast majority
of Nigerians.
A statement issued by
the party’s spokesman,
Kola Ologbondiyan, described
the Appropriation
Bill as hazy, showing
streaks of padding, fraudulent
duplication, replete
with false performance
indices, deceptive projections
and inexplicable expenditure
assertions.
It read: “The PDP insists
that it is inexcusable that
despite the huge natural
resources at President
Buhari’s reach, he articulated
a N10.7 trillion budget
that is completely lacking
in concrete wealth creation
strategy but relies on
further squeezing of Nigerians
through excruciating
taxes, levies and agonizing
tolls.
“The party described as
unacceptable that the
budget is skewed to serve
the interest of the opulent,
as projects that have direct
bearing on the well
being of the masses were
not substantially accommodated
in the overall
expenditure profile.
The party also criticized
the Buhari-led administration
for “not being
transparent in the mammoth
allocations for alleged
vague projects, particularly
the Ministries of
Works and Housing as
well as transportation,
where allegations of diversion
of public funds
were endemic in the last
budget.
“Standing with millions
of Nigerian youths and
women, our party rejects
the paltry budgets of N48
billion for Education and
N46 billion for Health and
urges the National Assembly
to review the allocations
in the interest of
Nigerians.
“Furthermore, the PDP
notes, as unacceptable
that President Buhari, in
his budget speech, could
not give account of his
handling of the 2019 budget
and had to resort to
lame excuses and unsupported
figures, particularly
on the various unimplemented
subheads in
critical sectors of the economy.
“Moreover, Mr. President
failed to explain why
his administration has remained
hugely corrupt
and how his Presidency
depleted our foreign reserves
to an all time low
of $41,852 billion accumulated
huge foreign and
domestic debts and kept
the naira at its knees at
about N360 to $1USD under
his watch.”
The party also challenged
the Presidency to
make public the details of
the Presidency allocation
for Nigerians.