By Chukwudi Nweje
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), yesterday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), proposal to the Federal Government, to offer civil servants above 50 years a one-off retirement package to exit the service as way to reduce the cost of governance.
The organisation noted that the NGF’s proposal is deceitful and mirrors a “lack of readiness by all levels of government to holistically address the contending issues backpedalling country’s socio-economic development.”
A statement by its Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani, noted that compulsory retirement of workers over 50 years of age will not reduce the cost of governance, but may rather “amplify existing socio-economic burden, suffering and inequalities among common Nigerians.”
He said, “We received the proposed measure to reducing cost of governance as a deceitful approach that may amplify existing socio-economic burden, suffering and inequalities among common Nigerians. We cannot conceal the fact that it mirrors lop-sidedness, insincerity, and lack of readiness by all levels of government to holistically address the contending issues backpedalling country’s socio-economic development. We on this note reiterate that the issues that aggravate high cost of governance and socio-economic inequalities in Nigeria include poor transparency and accountability, paving way for the inherent incompetence and abuse of public funds amounting to trillions of naira by successive administrations at all levels. We maintain our advocacy against unjustified numerous jumbo salaries, allowances, benefits, and public paid expenses enjoyed by the governors, their deputies, former speaker, and their deputies throughout and after their tenures. This includes the states that erected private buildings as retirement packages for the public office holders as well as former governors who enjoy double payments from Senatorial positions.”
According to the organisation rather than retiring workers, President Muhammadu Buhari should take appreciable and drastic step to reduce the cost of governance through targeted efforts to addressing institutionalised mismanagement, systemic embezzlement, inflated budget, procurement corruption, revenue loopholes, among others, to allow adequate resource allocation to finance critical sector and eradicate poverty at all levels.
It demanded strict compliance to remuneration provisions prescribed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in all remunerations and entitlements by the governments at all levels to prevent continued diversion of public revenue resources into private pockets.
Rafsanjani noted that thorough scrutiny of the budgets of the various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), will address issues of inflated budget lines, duplications, and unnecessary items, even as it urged the National Assembly to strengthen oversight activities on budgetary implementation to prevent or sanction poor implementation, mismanagement, and non-existent projects.
He called on the executive and legislative arms of government to in spirit of Open Government Partnership, improve fiscal transparency, integrity, transparency, and accountability in Defence spending, to block mismanagement and wastage, while enabling adequate budgetary allocation to other sectors.
He stressed that a full implementation of The Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022; and Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022, will go a long way to strengthen the anti-corruption fight, sanction treasury looters and ensure that repatriated assets are utilised for the benefits of Nigerians.
He further advised governments at all levels to diversify their revenue bade away from reliance on crude oil
The statement further said, “We encourage all levels of government to give thoughtful consideration to economic diversification to agricultural and industrial sectors through targeted public-private partnership to discourage mono-economy, enhance human capital development and employment creation as a complementary strategy to reduce over-bloated civil service at all levels. We also call on the governments to institutionalise sustainable measures to block existing revenue leakages including those deliberately supported for more transparency, accountability, and efficient management of resources.
“We demand prompt removal of the needless subsidies on petroleum, to enabling adequate financing for the critical sector, job creation, infrastructural development, and poverty eradication in Nigeria. We call on governments at all levels to create an enabling environment to boost businesses and attract private sector investments through widen economic integration involving security, removal of tariffs and trade barriers as well as policy and regulation harmonisation in the areas of investment, competition policy, digital trade, quality of infrastructure among others.
“We call on all levels of government to uphold high level integrity in their procurement process through transparency, stakeholder participation, accessibility, e-procurement system and appropriate oversight and control with full implementation of the Procurement Laws, to ensure fairness, non-discrimination and compliance in the public procurement process.”