The earmarked N37 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex is a misplaced of priority and a daylight robbery of National wealth, especially, putting into consideration the huge number of Nigerians crying for a better life and other critical issues begging for financial attention. Based on the explanation of the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawal on 16th December, 2019, the N37 billion as stated in the 2020 Appropriation Act is designed to take care of the already dilapidated complex which has suffered a major renovation since 1999.
This amount according to Senator Godiya Akwashiki on 31st December, 2019 was earmarked by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and not the lawmakers. However, the fact remains that the renovation is not justifiable looking at the number of critical sectors begging for financial attention. Just few months ago, the minister of work and housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) while lamenting the paucity of fund in the ministry stated that the amount of money the federal government is owing contractors working on her roads is N306 billion. Though, this seems to be small but it goes a long way in doing a thorough job.
This is not talk of other ministries dying in silence because of lack of funds. In 2017 for instance, the wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari was moved by the deteriorating state of the public hospital to the extent that she berated the Clinic at the Aso Rock publicly when she discovered that the X-ray machine there was not working.
Most of the senators who approved N37 billion for the renovation of a complex cannot deny the bad status of the medical facilities in the country. That is the reason most of them preferred to go abroad for medical treatment. The same narrative could be said of the education system. In 2019, there was jubilation everywhere when one of the daughters of the president graduated from a University abroad. Similar story is told of the children of some the prominent personalities both in APC and the opposition camps.
Though, there is nothing wrong in sending children abroad for study or treatment, but it becomes abnormal when the money that ought to help ameliorate people’s suffering or improve the standard of education are diverted to an avoidable expenses. As it is today, the renovation of the national assembly complex is an avoidable expense. It is not as urgent as the rotten in the education system, medical sector, and transportation system among other.
Most road networks across the country are daily becoming a death trap due to lack of fund. While the level of unemployment continues to accelerate at an unprecedented level, the under-employed people are also increasing. No wonder, the country was named by the World Poverty Clock as the world poverty capital in 2018. This is not to talk of 13.5 million of out of school children and 9.5 million of the Almajeris roaming the street based on the data released by the UNICEF in 2014. Despite all these, those who claimed to be the representative of the people in the hallow chamber still find it worthy to approved such humongous amount in the name of renovation.
In an ideal society where people are well represented, such amount putting into consideration the numbers of projects begging for financial attention would not have even surface at all not to talk of becoming a public discourse because they will be sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the people.
Femi Oluwasanmi,
Ibafo, Ogun State.