USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: BUHARI'S 2016 BUDGET: A Consolidation of Corruption

Much regards and respect too, aburo Remi!  When I see your revised essay, I will be happy to comment more cogently - if need be! :-)

Best wishes always.

Bolaji Aluko

On Sat, Jan 2, 2016 at 9:19 PM, Remi Oyeyemi <oyeyemiremi@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear Egbon Bolaji,

Happy New Year to you sir and to the entire family.

I write to acknowledge your observations and elucidations. They are noted and would be followed up on.

Usual regards and respects sir.

Remi Oyeyemi

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From: Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com>
To: Remi Oyeyemi <oyeyemiremi@yahoo.com>
Cc: Stephen Akintoye <sakintoye1@yahoo.com>; Clement Ogunwande <onibonoje1@yahoo.com>; Dr Biyi Oyefule <oyefule@aol.com>; Adeniran Adeboye <aadeboye@mac.com>; Ayo Turton <ayoturton@gmail.com>; Moni Tenabe <moni.tenabe@morgan.edu>; Emmanuel Dada <eadada3@yahoo.com>; Bunmi Ayoade <maximaxiforte@gmail.com>; Gabriel Tenabe <gabriel.tenabe@morgan.edu>; Oyewola Akangbe <xamdeb@yahoo.com>; Tayo Badejoko <tayobadejoko@hotmail.com>; Babatunde Aremu <tundearo08@gmail.com>; Orebe Femi <zurielle2009@yahoo.com>; Tokunbo Ajasin <tokunboajasin@hotmail.com>; Olawale Oshun <oooshun@yahoo.co.uk>; Waleadeoye <waleadeoye90@yahoo.com>; Dr. Adebayo Williams <adebayow@hotmail.com>; Sam Awo <samawo@yahoo.com>; Taiwo Akinola <globaltradeip@yahoo.co.uk>; Femi Adelegan <femiadelegan@yahoo.co.uk>; Wale Adebanwi <waleadebanwi@yahoo.com>; Femi Esan <femiesan07@gmail.com>; Femi Faturoti <femifaturoti@yahoo.com>; Kayode Ola <olakayode1@yahoo.com>; Femi Adesina <kulikulii@yahoo.com>; Tayo Haastrup <haastruptayo@yahoo.com>; Sola Yusuff <nation.trans@yahoo.com>; Oye Gureje <oye_gureje@yahoo.com>; Folu Olamiti <olamitifolu@yahoo.com>; Yiwola Awoyale <yawoyale@yahoo.com>; Ola Gureje <omoigbala2010@gmail.com>; Amos Akingba <omojuba@gmail.com>; Kunle Afolabi <kafyolabi@yahoo.com>; Johnson Kolawole <jakolawole@yahoo.com>; Tunde Durosomo <tdurosomo@yahoo.com>; Tunde Rahman <tunderahmanu@yahoo.com>; Semiu Okanlawon <panoramanews2010@gmail.com>; Joel Nwokeoma <joelugon@yahoo.com>; Prince Adebayo Ogunmeno <aikogun@ogunmenolawfirm.com>; Yinka Adelani <yinkaadelani@yahoo.com>; Adebayo Onigbinde <lekan103@yahoo.com>; Gbenga Adebusuyi <gbenga.adebusuyi@gmail.com>; Omotayo Odesanya <tayo1@yahoo.com>; Wole Adekanye <taiidowu@yahoo.co.uk>; Mayo Ogedengbe <koluejo@gmail.com>; Dr Mayowa Ogedengbe <mayo@temple.edu>; Muyiwa Akintunde <akintundemuyiwa@yahoo.com>; Eric Ayoola <ericayoola@gmail.com>; Dr. Clement Ogunwann Bolajide <cogunwande@verizon.net>; USAAfrica Dialogue <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; OmoOdua <OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>; "nigerianid@yahoogroups.com" <nigerianID@yahoogroups.com>; NaijaPolitics e-Group <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; naijaintellects <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; "africanworldforum@googlegroups.com" <africanworldforum@googlegroups.com>; NigerianWorldForum <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>; "nigeriaworldforum@yahoogroups.com" <nigeriaworldforum@yahoogroups.com>; Ra'ayi <Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com>; Yan Arewa <YanArewa@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 2, 2016 2:14 PM
Subject: Re: BUHARI'S 2016 BUDGET: A Consolidation of Corruption

Dear Remi Oyeyemi:

Happy New Year to you, and also to your better half of the same name as yourself! :-)

You will have to re-write substantial portions of your rather scathing critique below, because MOST of your figures/numbers are simply wrong.  In quoting expenditures, you must add both recurrent and capital expenditures, and I fear that you used only one instead of the other in making many of your comparisons below.

To assist you, I reproduce below a table that I published elsewhere comparing 2015 and 2016 Budget Bills, as well as 2015 Budget Act.  That table did not include EXPLICITLY a few ministries and heads that you referred to in your essay below.  To asssist you, I have added a small Table 2 in that regard.

I look forward to reading your revised essay.

Again, Season's Greetings!

Bolaji Aluko

QUOTE

My People:

A Budget Bill indicates the intentions of the Executive;  an Act (a Bill signed into Law) is a compromise between the Executive and the Legislature.

I present below compiled information of those of 2015 and 2016.  Major increases and decreases are discernible therein, and need little comment.

Finally, we welcome the extension of the financial year 2015 to March 2016...that gives us in the MDAs a little more time to spend the 2016 money given to us on Christmas eve, rather than it being mopped up on January 1 as in the previous years!

Season's greetings, everyone..

Bolaji Aluko

PS:  By the way, the two people that you quote to begin your essay put a rather sinister spin to it:

 

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."                  - Joseph Goebbels

  

"Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."   - Adolf Hitler  

However, these quotations cut both ways in the hands of whoever wishes to use it to their advantage.

Table 1:  Comparisons of 2016 and 2015 Budget Bills and 2015 Budget Act

Unit/Ministry/Head	2016 Total Expenditure (Bill)  - President Buhari	2015 Total Expenditure (Act) - Jonathan Administration	2015 Total Expenditure (Bill) - President Jonathan
Presidency	39,124,978,811	24,473,865,117	26,663,050,469
Office of SGF	62,358,813,315	58,013,699,584	52,782,859,141
Agric	76,753,672,273	40,621,020,717	40,151,988,128
ICPC	4,618,378,795	4,910,936,843	5,051,408,637
Defence	429,098,182,742	375,497,219,431	358,466,078,637
Education	406,556,376,895	415,883,784,654	419,854,986,591
FCT	37,756,697,983	13,500,000,000	12,000,000,000
Foreign Affairs	49,526,208,900	48,149,382,166	47,495,358,240
Finance	11,192,101,558	18,873,401,022	11,100,949,474
Health	76,333,193,241	259,751,742,847	252,543,773,757
Information (& Culture)	45,162,778,886	24,132,420,241	10,092,743,679
Communication Technology	15,997,128,516	11,592,048,380	11,106,611,116
Interior	198,352,766,543	156,220,022,460	156,557,006,561
Office of HCSF	8,042,152,611	7,090,556,728	7,296,828,934
Justice	18,836,291,016	19,944,638,350	20,095,917,474
Power (Housing & Works)	467,645,043,369	9,606,813,831	8,811,633,477
Petroleum Resources	62,115,123,639	59,774,429,975	59,051,178,741
Works	0	44,985,916,543	39,579,312,175
Mines & Steel Development	18,625,703,622	11,031,109,540	10,436,482,841
Transportation/Aviation	215,797,393,980	17,560,812,531	10,856,830,076
Environment	19,678,214,892	17,499,334,341	15,646,485,175
Office of NSA	90,350,068,052	88,726,771,998	84,128,320,723
Niger-Delta	26,332,596,554	10,434,200,737	8,293,205,819
All Other MDAs	705,001,195,996	534,703,640,112	542,518,166,359
SUB-TOTAL Executive MDAs	3,085,255,062,189	2,272,977,768,148	2,210,581,176,224
SUB-TOTAL Executive Bodies	20,501,937,811	19,964,683,643	19,351,311,691
SUB-TOTAL Pensions and Gratuities	200,170,000,000	375,478,494,343	231,408,494,338
SUB-TOTAL Service-Wide Votes (Including  Capital Supplementation)	945,063,000,000	640,127,011,023	541,779,017,746
TOTAL  Expenditure (Non-Debt + Capital)	4,250,990,000,000	3,164,127,957,157	3,003,120,000,000
Statutory Transfers	351,370,000,000	375,616,000,000	411,840,000,000
Debt Service	1,475,320,000,000	953,620,000,000	943,000,000,000
GRAND TOTAL	6,077,680,000,000	4,493,363,957,157	4,357,960,000,000

UNQUOTE

Table 2: A Few Details on 2016 Bill: (To Assist Remi Oyeyemi's Revision of His Essay)

Unit/Ministry/Head	2016 Total Expenditure (Bill)
Labour and Employment	13,397,589,915
Science & Technology	53,743,337,717
Water Resources	44,206,418,733
Special Duties (SGF)	72,894,125
Nigerian Police Formation & Command	300,100,330,698
Operation Lafiya Dole	10,000,000,000
Federal Character Commission	3,371,278,211
Outsourced Services	5,000,000,000
Amnesty Programme	20,000,000,000
Symposium Shelter Afrique	400,000,000
Entitlements of Former Presidents/HOS, etc.	2,300,000,000
National Assembly (A Statutory Transfer)	115,000,000,000
UBEC (A Statutory Transfer)	77,110,000,000
INEC  (A Statutory Transfer)	45,000,000,000
Special Duties (SGF)	72,894,125

On Fri, Jan 1, 2016 at 2:45 AM, Remi Oyeyemi <oyeyemiremi@yahoo.com> wrote:

BUHARI'S 2016 BUDGET: A Consolidation of Corruption

 

By Remi Oyeyemi

 

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."                  - Joseph Goebbels

 

 

"Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."                                                                       - Adolf Hitler

 

 

President Mohammadu Buhari promised CHANGE in the days and months leading to the last presidential elections. For a country in comatose, stagnated in misery and miasma, CHANGE was the sing song. At a point in the journey to the presidential elections, Buhari, to and for Nigeria, became much more than the promise of CHANGE. He became the CHANGE that the majority of Nigerians were seeking.

 

Thanks to the hitherto unprecedented propaganda in the history of Nigeria. It was a dexterous devilish manipulation of information that turned Mohammadu Buhari from the Satan that Nigerians have rejected at the polls for the previous 16 years into a Saint all of a sudden. He became the messiah. He became the savior. Hope rose to high heavens. Excitement was enormously generated. The enthusiasm was pervasive. It was all encompassing. Buhari was everybody's man. Everyone was Buhari's man. And woman!

 

The lies about Buhari were very big but were kept very simple in deference to the gospel according to Adolf Hitler. His party and handlers kept saying those lies repeatedly and consistently. Eventually, Nigerians believed the lies hook, line and sinker. In the face of historical facts to the contrary, Buhari became a man of integrity! Buhari became a man of competence! Buhari became incorruptible!

 

After sixteen years of trial, Buhari became the President of Nigeria. Contesting for an office for sixteen years consecutively would have meant an adequate preparation and deep grasp of the issues involved. The advantage of ruling the same country once before the second coming was also expected to be helpful. He was expected to know exactly what to do. Buhari was supposed to be the man with a plan; the man with the solution; the savior to salvage and save; the messiah to mesmerize, untie the shackles and set Nigeria free on the path to freedom and realization of its potentials.

 

Some of us believe that Buhari is and has always been incompetent. In addition to his incompetence, he is also corrupt as facts of history have attested to. Not just by his actions, but by his utterances that are well documented for and by History. But on this second coming, the day he began to deny himself and what he promised Nigerians during his campaign, it was crystal clear that he had no plans for Nigeria. It was clear he had no solutions. It was clear that he is more of the same. At that time, there was no new proof. But now he has provided a brand new proof to Nigerians and for the world to behold. And that proof is his Budget for the Year 2016!

 

We should let President Buhari's 2016 Budget figures speak for themselves.

 

In an administration fighting against corruption, that is in need of diversification President Buhari has presented a Budget that would appropriate N29.7 billion to his Minisry of Agricultureh in comparison to N115 billion to a "do nothing"  National Assembly. Even when you add the planned appropriation for the Universal Basic Education (N77.1 billion) together with the Ministry of Agriculture (N29.1billion), the National Assembly still gulps about N15 billion more than them. What a priority!

 

Nigeria is in need of security no doubt. But this ought not be an excuse for irresponsible spending and uncalled for duplication. President Buhari budgeted N294.5 billion for the Ministry of Defence. The Ministry of Interior also have a lot to do with the security of the country and has a budget of N145.2 billion. We also have the Nigerian Police Formation and Command budget at N283.09 billion. Then there is tucked somewhere in the budget something called  Operation Lafiya Dole to cost Nigerian Tax Payers N10 billion. "Lafiya Dole" is an Hausa Language expression that means "Compulsory Peace" or "Peace by Force." If you add up the four, it gives you N732.79 billion.

 

With over N732.79 billion to these all important Ministries and Department that deal with our security, can President Buhari explain to Nigerians what his National Security Adviser would be doing with additional N57.7 billion? This National Security Adviser allocation is an amount that is higher than the funds allocated to the Ministries of Transportation, Water Resources, Works, Power and Housing put together! Haba!

 

President Buhari promised to create employment for the suffering Nigerian youths. But he only budgeted only N7.8 billion for the Ministry of Labour and Employment.  He also budgeted N9.5billion for the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, a sector that could easily generate high employment if properly funded and managed. Science and Technology Ministry received only N25.8 billion. Also remember that the Ministries of Transportation and Water Resources received N13.7 billion and N7.2 billion respectively.

 

The immediate paragraph above contains five of the most important Ministries that could have positive impact on the people if any government is serious at all. Their total expenditure is N64 billion. This is less than what President Buhari, the man who promised us CHANGE, allocated to his Minister of Special Duties N72.8 billion! Pray, what are the Special Duties to be done that they should cost so much? Then add N45.3 billion allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government and Office of the Head of Service, N6.4 billion. What further evidence of misapplication of funds that consolidates corruption do we need than all these?

 

But wait a minute! President Buhari has allocated to the Federal Character Commission N2.09 billion! For goodness' sake, what do they do in that Commission that would cost the Nigerian Tax Payers this much just in One Year? Then there is what is called Outsourced Services that would cost N5 billion and Presidential Amnesty Programme which would also cost N20 billion. Who are the targets of this Amnesty Programme? Is it Boko Haram Terrorists, or Niger Delta Militants? Or who?

 

It is perfidious on the part of President Buhari and a betrayal of Nigeria's future to budget only N29.7 billion for Min of Agriculture, N 7.8 billion for Labour & Employment and N10.5 billion to Industry, Trade and Investment which all put together would  be less than the 57.7 billion allocated to his National Security Adviser outside the over N732 billion already allocated to different facets for security purposes. This is wastage, it is corruption and it is mismanagement.

 

Why did President Buhari budget N45 billion for INEC in a year when there is no national elections? What is this money for? Is this money just for salaries or other assignments? If this amount is for assignments, what is the nature of those assignments? Nigerians deserve answers to these questions.

 

President Buhari needs to explain to Nigerians what Mr. Lai Mohammed would be doing with N39.1billion allocated to his Information Ministry that would be more important that what Ministry of Transportation N13.7 billion, Ministry of Water Resources N7.2 billion and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment  N10.5 billion would be doing? These three Ministries' allocation put together is less than Lai Mohammed's Ministry of Information! Haven't we had enough propaganda and lies told to Nigerians?

 

Buhari was expected to have prudence as his watchword. But the opposite is what we are witnessing. Otherwise, how could President Buhari justify the proposed spending of N400 million on a weekend symposium? Yes, the 35^th Annual General Meeting and Symposium of Shelter Afrique slated for June 2016! How can an administration that is yelling against wastage and corruption approve such amount of money for a two day affair?

 

It is interesting to know that N2.3 billion would be showered on all former Heads of State, Presidents and their deputies just within one year alone. This is upon the mismanagement and tragedy they have all visited on this country. However, more interesting is the N19.9 billion budget that President Buhari and his coteries in the Presidency would spend in the coming year.

 

The most scandalous part of the Budget is what a commentator on social media described as follows:

 

"N1.75 billion for President Muhammadu Buhari's feeding in

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[Message clipped]  

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