A Wake-up Call to Conscience

November 30, 2009                                                      PRESS RELEASE

THE YAR ADUA ADMINISTRATION AND THE 2010 APPROPRIATION BILL-MATTERS ARISING!!!

As we all know, few days ago, before he left for his now over-sensationalised medical checkup, President Umaru Musa Yar Adua was unable to present the 2010 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly following the caustic disagreement on the choice of a venue for the presentation by the two arms of the National Assembly-the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Why the Lawmakers stalled the presentation of an important Bill as the Appropriation Bill on such whimsical grounds as the choice of a venue still beats our imagination.

Traditionally and historically, the Appropriation Bill has always been presented on the floor of the House of Representatives, which is the usual venue for a joint session of the National Assembly. Why then did the lawmakers especially the Senate decided otherwise this time around? Why do our so-called leaders always think and act as if every policy is all about them, when in reality, it is all about the Nigerian people?

For the avoidance of doubt, the Appropriation Bill is not just a mere Bill; it is a Bill that is deeply rooted on the life and health of all Nigerians. To that extent, when it is not presented on time, it will not be considered and debated on time, and when it is not considered and debated on time, it will not be signed into law on time; the implication being that it will set off a chain reaction which eventually triggers to all sectors of the economy with Nigerians being at the receiving end of avoidable suffering and trauma. And the reason this is so is not far fetched. Corporate individuals and businesses will always wait for the government in every fiscal year to sign the Appropriation Bill into law before taking essential decisions and drawing up crucial policies that will affect their businesses and ultimately the lives of the Nigerian people. Not only that; treating the Appropriation Bill with so much levity affects aversely capital projects, infrastructural developments and even recurrent expenditure. It will culminate in poor budget implementation and follow-throughs. This much can be seen from the shoddy implementation of the 2009 Appropriation Act and even the inglorious execution of the 2008 Appropriation Act. As a matter of fact, we have no record of any well implemented budget in the history of this nation.

The tendency for our lawmakers to reduce crucial national policies and national assignments to frivolous rancour is unbecoming. We believe it is time our leaders rise above such partisanship, immaturity, petty squabbles and face squarely the issues and important matters of State that bedevils this nation.

It is with such activity in mind that we salute (albeit with some reservations) the initiative of President Yar Adua in choosing to send the lawmakers copies of the 2010 Appropriation Bill for them to consider and debate rather than get bogged down with their pettiness and narrow-mindedness (for the nation cannot afford to wait for the lawmakers to settle their selfish differences). That forward-looking action by Mr. President in our mind’s eye is not thinking outside the box; that is realising and understanding there is no box!

However, we did say earlier that we commend with some reservations the ground-breaking move of the President in choosing to send the lawmakers copies of the Appropriation Bill, and the reasons for these reservations is because it is not just enough to send them copies of  the Appropriation Bill for the singular purpose of signing the Bill into law on time; much more important is the overriding need to ensure judicious execution of the Appropriation Act in line with the real needs of the Nigerian people. Too often has our national budget been characterise with deceptive and poor implementation by unscrupulous government officials who would rather sacrifice altruism on the altars of expediency and self-interest! Mr. President has to guarantee that this time around, things will be different; that Nigerians for once deserve a workable budget that will be executed in its entirety for the greater good. This is very important because the whole of the nation’s infrastructure (deathtrap road network, failed healthcare system, anaemic education sector, the list is endless) is in shambles and unless something drastic and decisive is done and done in a hurry, the future looks bleak and hopeless with no light at the end of the tunnel.

In the final analysis, President Yar Adua has to use this opportunity to move beyond all of his failed policies in the last two and half years. He has to understand that, though he was selfishly drafted into this job without his planning for it, he nonetheless willingly accepted the challenge of leading this nation at this crucial period of our nation’s history, and therefore the time has come for him to face the realities on ground. The days for cheap talk and half measures are over. Now is the time for him to seat up to the task of constructive governance and provide the much desired decisive leadership that the Nigerian people need. These are revolutionary times across the globe; times for full measures and hard choices.

To this end, we would like to suggest three concrete things that Mr. President must do to quickly turn around the fortunes of this nation and set it on the path of recovery for good:

Firstly, the President must truly commit himself to genuine electoral reforms. He and the lawmakers must as a matter of national urgency expedite action on the Electoral Reforms Bill. But beyond this, he must ensure the full implementation of the recommendations of the Electoral Reforms Committee. The nation has less than 18 months for another general election and it is important the electoral issues are quickly resolved to assure a free and fair election for the entrenchment and sustenance of a viable and stable democracy. Nevertheless, the true test of President Yar Adua’s Electoral reforms so far will be the Anambra State Gubernatorial elections coming up in the next few weeks-that election will certainly serve as a window on how free and fair the 2011 General Elections will be.

Secondly, the President must critically address the energy issue in this last lap of his four-year tenure. The energy issue is the single most important issue aside electoral reforms that this nation need to resolve; in short, it is the all-important issue for if it can be resolved, then over 50% of the nation’s problems would have been solved for energy is closely linked to almost every other issue. It is the reason why businesses are folding up, why industries and multi-nationals are relocating to neighbouring countries, why there are downsizings and resizing. It is why Nigerians consume so much fuel; it is why it is so difficult to set up a business. In fact, it is crippling growth and stifling the innovative drive of Nigerians.

Finally, the President must reduce his hazy Seven-Point Agenda to Electoral Reforms and Energy for no gains have been recorded on any of them in the two and half years he has spent in power. It has simply been a rock and roll chair exercise-lot of movement but no progress.

If the President can muster the political will to follow these suggestions and address these issues religiously, then his presidency would not have been in vain.

Comrade Eneruvie Enakoko

  (CLO Chairman in Lagos)