Kaduna 2023 budget needs review, Goje urges Gov. Uba Sani

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government faced with the reality that some expenditure allocations in 2023 approved budget can hardly be justified in the face of the disturbing development outcome indicators in the State, a social activist, Yusuf Ishaku Goje has called on the Governor, Senator Uba Sani to do holistic review of the said budget, and cut down the cost of governance.

Goje observed that there are expenditure allocations that can hardly be justifiable in the face of the disturbing development outcome indicators in the State.

According to him: “This is nothing new, as historically, we had leaders who were able to sacrifice the opportunity for primitive accumulation of wealth and privileges that comes with public office for the common good.

“In 1962, the Premier of Northern Nigeria and Sardauna of Sokoto, late Sir Ahmadu Bello, announced a six-year development plan for the North. In order to achieve the strategic objectives of the development plan, within the resources available, he reduced by 10% salaries to all Ministers and other political officials, and abolished many of their allowances.”

“Hence, the need for the Governor to emulate leaders such as the Sardauna and demonstrate leadership by example. Thereby, mandating the immediate review of the 2023 approved budget and cutting down on frivolous budget allocations.”

Also, the human rights activist who is also an expert in budget analysis said a meagre N1.4 billion, that is approximately 0.4% of the total 2023 approved budget of N376.5 billion, to the entire agriculture sector and allocate

N3.9 billion for procurement of motor vehicles under the Ministry of Finance.

Goje who is the leader of Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanisms (KADLGAM) wondered why allocating N877.7 million to Citizens’ Engagement and N559.6 million on Entertainment and Hospitality under the overhead cost of the Government House, noting that a critical sector like agriculture, which is contributing 36% of our GDP and 42% of the workforce, has been allocated a meagre N750 million for capital expenditure.

According to him, the Governor, immediately after the confirmation by the legislature and appointment of Commissioners, need to order the review of the 2023 budget to make it realistic in line with the initial budget size as recommended in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF, 2023-2025), saying that as expected, the Governor should be having sleepless nights on how to turn the rhetoric of campaign to the reality of evidencebased development.

He explained that the biggest challenge remains financing the promises made in his SUSTAIN blueprint, on various campaign podiums as well as open and private stakeholder meetings.

“Despite repeated assurances during the campaign on fiscal sustainability, the Governor should by now be coming to terms with the reality that it is not going to be a tea party. As the Governor has a rising debt obligation of N35.4 billion to service as well as other recurrent and capital expenditures. As the current public debt charge is 18.7% of the total revenue in the 2023 approved budget, 39.7% of IGR, 59.1% of Statutory Allocation and 26.2% of recurrent expenditure,” he noted.

He said that when the report of the Auditor-General on the Accounts of the Government of Kaduna State of Nigeria, 2022, same as that of 2021, observed that the State’s revenue forecast appears to be exaggerated and too bogus to be achieved, as most MDAs are unable to meet their revenue targets as the effect of which is that some budget releases to MDAs, as captured in the quarterly performance reports, are usually not cash-backed.

He said that any well-meaning leader should not live in luxury while overseeing an area with high unemployment, poverty and inequality rates as no compassionate leader should be moving with a legion of security agents with long convoys fuelled by public funds - while his people are slaughtered, maimed and their properties are destroyed.

Yusuf stated that no credible leader should have many lavished houses while those he leads are homeless due to displacement by insecurity or eviction without alternatives by government agencies.

He lamented, “This is because the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of the government. Therefore, the Governor should cut down on the number of institutions, aides and allowances as well as other frivolous expenditures in the 2023 approved budget that adds no direct value to the people.”

He reminded the Governor and his team that the government does not belong to the party in power, it belongs to the people who own the power.

He opined that elections are supposed to lead to the emergence of leaders that will serve all the people regardless of party affiliation, saying Election is not war, where after victory the winner takes it all and shares the spoils with his foot soldiers.

“ I laugh when I hear people say it is our government and our turn to enjoy just because their party won the elections.

“Alas, the party in power is expected to implement its manifesto not for the benefit of party faithful but

Sadly, many, especially those in opposition, do not engage and hold the party in power accountable because it is not their party that is in power.

“It is important to note that it is your civic responsibility to engage the party in power and your right to benefit from the services the government delivers”, he concluded.