2017 Budget Delay: Cardinal Okogie Blasts Govt, Nigerian Politicians and Agitators
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The former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, has condemned the system of governance in Nigerian, saying a total restructure his needed.
He said the country is in a dire condition as the youths are hungry and angry with little left to alleviate their suffering.
Furthermore, the government and politicians are impervious to the plight of the people and everything is on a downward trend.
He particularly mentioned the 2017 budget, saying its delay means the government is an unserious entity.
He recalled that the 2017 budget was presented to the legislature in the twilight of the 2016 and was just passed on May 14, 2017, which was “more than five months into the year and close to six months after it was presented.”
He said, “For a country that should be in a hurry to exit the Destitution Avenue, this is simply unacceptable. It is another instance of failure of governance. Failure of governance is when government fails to serve the people. Nigerians should be worried about the way the budgetary process runs in this country.
“In the period when the budget has yet to be passed, how is government carrying out its functions? Who is accountable to who when it comes to how money is spent? Does this reflect a country that really wishes to put an end to corruption? But while there was delay in passing the budget, there is an early bird approach to the politics of 2019. The budget was not passed but politicians were positioning themselves for the 2019 presidential elections.”
The cardinal added, “Now, deprivation has turned into agitation. In the absence of a budget, the economic conditions in which we live continue to bite. Nigerians are hungry and angry. In their anger, they turn against each other on the social media, using unprintable language, threats and violence to sort out their differences. Young Igbo insult the Yoruba, young Yoruba insult the Igbo, the North and the South have suddenly realised that they cannot live together.
“In all this, instead of facing their common enemy – politicians who abuse their offices and steal the wealth of the land, thus depriving us of decent living – young Nigerians tear each other apart in a society where civil discourse has become an unwanted alien.
“We have said it before that we live in clear and present danger. We said it when herdsmen went on the rampage and arms were being brought into Nigeria by ‘ghost importers.’ Now, we should ask ourselves: is there a correlation between illegal importation of arms into Nigeria and the drumbeats and dance steps of war we are currently witnessing?”
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- Unknown: Wednesday, 14 June 2017 at June 14, 2017
- Label(s): politics
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