The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from selling public properties to fund the 2021 budget.
The advocacy group called for an urgent review of the 2021 appropriation legislation, a statement issued by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Sunday.
SERAP called on the legislative leaders to cut salaries and allowances for members and the Presidency to make savings that would address the growing level of deficit and borrowing.”
It recalled that the Minister of Finance and Budget Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, had last week confirmed that the Federal Government would sell some-government-owned properties to fund the 2021 budget.
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SERAP said it wrote a letter dated January 16, 2021, and signed by Oluwadare to the legislative arm of the government appealing to it to protect valuable public properties and ensure responsible budget spending.
According to the organization, allowing the government to sell public properties, and to enjoy almost absolute discretion to borrow to fund the 2021 budget will amount to a fundamental breach of constitutional and fiduciary duties.
SERAP said, “Selling valuable public properties to fund the 2021 budget would be counter-productive, as this would be vulnerable to corruption and mismanagement. It would undermine the social contract with Nigerians, leave the government worse off, and hurt the country in the long run. It is neither necessary nor in the public interest.”
“The country’s fiscal situation must be changed – and changed quickly – through some combination of cuts in spending on salaries and allowances, and a freeze on spending in certain areas of the budget such as hardship and furniture allowances, entertainment allowances, international travels, and buying of motor vehicles and utilities for members and the Presidency.”
The letter read in part, “The time is now for the leadership of the National Assembly to stand up for the Nigerian people, stop the rush to sell public properties, push for a responsible budget, and support efforts to have the government spend responsibly.”
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“Other budgetary allocations that can be pruned, according to the organization, include constituency allowance, wardrobe allowance, recess allowance, and entertainment allowance.”
SERAP further urged the National Assembly to stop approving loan requests by the Federal Government if it continued to fail to demonstrate transparency and accountability in the spending of the loans so far obtained.
It added, “The National Assembly should urgently seek assurances and written commitment from President Buhari about his government’s plan to bring the country’s debt problem under control.”
“We would consider the option of pursuing legal action to stop the Federal Government from selling public properties, and we may join the National Assembly in any such suit.”
The advocacy group stressed that the budget deficit and debt problems threatened Nigerians’ access to essential public goods and services, and would hurt future generations.
If not urgently addressed, the deficit and debt problems would seriously undermine access to public goods and services for the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people who continue to endure the grimmest of conditions, SERAP added.
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