Ngonzi Okonjo Iweala Buys N1.2 Billion Mansion In Abuja (Page 8)

The N11.25bn budget on foreign trips

Editorial

EMERGING indication that ministries, departments  and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government will spend a whopping N11.25 billion  on foreign trips alone in the 2012 budget is deplorable, scandalous, and shamefully insensitive to the state of the nation. It amounts to no more than  unbridled expenditure and wastage of taxpayers' money in frivolous  entertainment of a few privileged public officials under the guise of  official foreign trips.


Budget

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Given the current ugly state of affairs in the  country, especially, with regard to fuel subsidy removal, which has  occasioned spiralling inflation, the logical step would have been for  government to shelve most foreign trips this year to reduce cost of  governance, and show seriousness of its empathy, if any, with the people;  rather than behaving in a business as usual manner.  Government should be minded that Nigerians are deeply aggrieved over removal of fuel subsidy which, according to government, is meant to raise funds for infrastructure development, but which  has not gone down well with Nigerians.

For the same government to impose crushing tax on  the common man through its fuel policies and then turn around to earmark such  huge funds for foreign travels raises a moral question on government. President Jonathan's knee jerk reaction in reportedly aiming to reduce the  budget on foreign trips in the wake of looming national strike over the fuel subsidy, does little to assuage public feeling about the blatant rape of the  nation. Suspending foreign trips this year would have been a more sensible  measure.

Under the foreign trips largesse, reports say the  Ministry of Defence has the largest allocation of N4.14 billion, followed by the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency, which have N3.31billion and N951million respectively. Others are Ministry of Finance, N287 million; Education Ministry,  N283.4 million; Ministry of Petroleum, N155 million; Justice, N122 million; Trade and Investment,  N109 million. The Ministry of Police Affairs was earmarked N48.5million; Youth Ministry,  N24.2 million; Women Affairs, N60.5 million; Agriculture, N34 million; and Water Resources  Ministry N49.9 million. Other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)  equally have various huge sums allocated to them.

Again, the penchant of public officials to fleece  the country under various guises is condemnable and it should be stopped  forthwith. The National Assembly should not approve the proposal since it is glaringly a drain on the economy. Previous globetrotting by public officials yielded no return for the country. There is nothing to suggest that this year will be different.

It is sad that foreign trips have become such a  huge drain on public purse. Nigerians were piqued at the revelation that the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs alone lavished a whopping N2.7 billion on foreign travels. The revelation came to limelight during the Ministry's 2012 budget  defence at the National Assembly.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs had  rightly condemned the extravagant spending and advised that it should be cut  down. Before then, there were reports of similarly excessive expenditure on  foreign travels by members of the National Assembly. In all this, there is no accountability or proper audit of who spends what and for what purpose. That  gives room for unrestrained squandering of public funds.

It is ridiculous that in a country where capital  budget is a meagre 27 per cent, while recurrent expenditure takes the lion  share of over 70 per cent, government has not thought it wise to cut wasteful  foreign spending. And, at the same time, government is asking people to tighten their belt when it ought to show example in saving money so that the  people can take it serious.

Equally disheartening is the fact that squander mania is rooted in government's departments at the federal as well as the state levels. Governors, instead of staying in their states to address pressing  issues, are always abroad for one reason or the other. For instance, they go on pilgrimage and on each occasion with a retinue of aides, spending huge sums  on estacodes. Another example was the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting  (CHOGM) held in Perth, Australia, in which the Nigerian Government reportedly  went with the largest delegation of officials to the embarrassment of the  country's High Commissioner there. The large delegation did not translate to any remarkable contribution from the country at the meeting. Questions  arising from such wasteful trips have not been answered, thereby depicting government as having more than enough funds to lavish.

Government must adopt moderation as a policy. Foreign  trips should not be an
 opportunity for government officials to squander  public resources, and earn fat estacodes for doing nothing. There should be consideration  for the abject poverty in the land. Government should explore effective ways  of cutting overheads rather than engaging in unrestrained profligacy that  makes the nation a laughing stock.
(The Guardian ,2012).
This is how those criminals share everything Nigeria has.