A
coalition of Civil Society Organisation (CSO), under the aegis Say No Campaign
Nigeria, has called on President Muhammad Buhari to sell off his fleet of
presidential jets as an exemplary measure to assure Nigerians that government
was ready and willing to sacrifice in order to rescue the country from the
current economic brink.
The
coalition made up of Partners for Electoral Reform (PEF), Protest to Power
Movement (PPM) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) said it
was disingenuous for public officers to continue to live their extravagant
lifestyles in the midst of the biting economic hardship.
Speaking
to journalists yesterday in Abuja on the state of the nation, the Chairman of
the group, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, explained that considering the worsening economic
hardship in the country, there was need for the President Buhari to make some
urgent adjustments and show clear commitments towards restoring the dwindling economic
recession.
Nwagwu
argued that the prevailing economic hardship compels rethinking of how
government officials encourage waste in the system.
“We
are greatly concerned about the unprecedented levels of economic hardship
bedeviling the nation which has resulted in hunger, deprivation, unemployment,
sky rocketing cost of essential commodities, unmitigated corruption in public
and private institutions.
“The
worsening security situation in our country, the flagrant abuse of democratic
processes and the accompanying failure or refusal by government to effectively
address these issues,” Nwagwu stressed.
He
contended that “the situation in Nigeria was grim and therefore required urgent
response. While we hold that the Buhari administration deserves commendation
for its social intervention initiative aimed to reducing unemployment, we
maintain that a lot more needs to be done, and urgently too to avert the
looming economic disaster.
“We
demand practical solutions for ameliorating the economic hardship, sale off the
Presidential jets which the president promised to do, 50% slash in salaries of
public officers.”
The
group while proffering practical solutions to the lingering economic crisis
demanded that, “government should make essential commodities available to
vulnerable Nigerians at reduced prices, probe of pet projects of First Ladies
which act as conduit pipes.”
On
budget padding and constituency project crisis rocking the National Assembly,
the group held that budget padding was not possible without the full connivance
of the entire leadership of both houses of National Assembly and the executive.
They
argued the most acceptable measure to the clear the air on the issue remains an
“immediate constitution of an independent panel of inquiry to undertake a comprehensive
review and audit of the constituency projects and constituency offices between
2004 and 2016.
“We
call for the entire leadership of the National Assembly to step outside, or be
removed by their colleagues pending the outcome of the independent inquiry and
audit process.
“We
call for an audit of the budgetary process to determine gaps in the fiscal
responsibility act and other relevant frameworks, as well as ascertain the
level of compliance with the act,” the chairman stated.
Tags
Society