BY – CHARLES OHIA


When all that is impossible has been removed, the remaining however improbable must be the truth’’ – Sherlock Holmes

On the morning of the 22nd of December 2015, Nigerians were glued to their television sets watching their President, Muhammadu Buhari make a presentation of the 2016 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly. At the end of it all, the presentation was applauded by a number of Nigerians as one of the finest hours of Buhari’s seven month old Presidency. But as it is with football, after the applause has died and the last fan has departed, the stadium is left in a mess. And that is exactly what the Buhari led government has left Nigerians with; a mess. At least going by the revelations so far. But first, the genesis.

Many had expected Buhari to hit the ground running immediately after his inauguration, but instead he became subsumed in a befuddling gale of lethargy as epitomised by his questionable decision that constituting a cabinet could wait. A wait the country is finding increasingly arduous to recover from. One would have thought that the circumstance of his coming into power was all the impetus he needed to constitute a competent economic team as well as appoint a substantive Minister of Finance. But no! Instead, as has become custom, Nigerians were suffused with justifications as to why Permanent Secretaries were the best things to have happened to governance in Nigeria, by those Reuben Abati famously described as the “new stars and celebrities who though not necessarily the most educated or knowledgeable, but who populate the social media space with their fast-food type intellectualism”.

This is spite of the fact that the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was losing billions with each passing week. This was in spite of the fact that jobs were being cut. This was in spite of the fact that instead of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), we were witnessing huge capital flight, since no one except Buhari had the vaguest idea of the economic thrust of his government. This was in spite of the fact that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which is a precursor to the budget was constitutionally due in August. This was in spite of the fact that our foreign reserves were dwindling in response to rapidly falling oil prices and a foreign exchange (FX) regime that made sense only to the formulators of our monetary policy.

Eventually, when the Ministers were appointed amidst all the drama that came with it, the disappointment was profound. It was inconceivable that these men and women were the reason why we had lost six months of a semblance of governance. However, we are a people of resilience and so we accepted our fate with a mixture of humility, equanimity and righteous decibel levels of wailing. Isn’t that why in spite of being one of the lowest ranked countries on the Human Development Index and having the worst energy efficiency per capita in the world, Nigerians were adjudged as the happiest people on earth? Nevertheless, our collective expectation of these Ministers was to drive the policy of the new government through their various ministries. Their first major task was the development of an economic blueprint in form of a budget. It turns out that their collective effort is an epic fail.

They failed in colours so fly that Joseph’s famed coat of many colours will go green with envy.

Or how else do you explain the atrocious proposal of N1Billion by the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology for the purchase of chairs and tables? How else do you explain that it was proposed for rents to be paid for the Presidential villa? How do you explain that the Power, Works and Housing Minister proposed to spend N500 million on attending ‘statutory meetings’? How else do you explain that the Minister of Interior proposed to spend an amount 2,500% higher from last year on refurbishing his office? How else do you explain that a Unity School under the Ministry of Education budgeted twenty different unrelated items for the exact same sum of N400, 237? I can go on and on through the dizzying labyrinth of frivolities.

On the surface, it does seem like a genuine arrant display of ineptitude and incompetence. However, on closer scrutiny, what strikes any discerning mind is the fact that this document was deliberately cobbled together as a special purpose vehicle to hoodwink Nigerians and in the process blindly pillage whatever is left of our collective patrimony beyond whatever palliatives medical science or miracle can render. But there is a limit to which Nigerians can be taken for a jolly good ride and this is exactly what galvanized well-meaning Nigerians to condemn the 2016 budget in its entirety. The results are as ubiquitous as they are effective.

First it was the Minister of Education; Adamu Adamu who stated in unambiguous terms that he was unaware of the hidden N10B that was discovered by the NASS members during their review of the budget.

This was followed strangely but not unexpectedly by the Minister of Health; Professor Isaac Adewole who declared a few days ago in very shocking fashion that the figures attributed to his Ministry were not what was submitted by him. He took it to comical heights by asserting that he was going to submit his own version of the budget to the National Assembly; definitely ignorant that the Fiscal Responsibility Act prohibits Ministers from individually handing in their budgets to NASS. Of course, when it comes to repudiation, The Information Minister, Lai Mohammed cannot be outdone. He too refuted his ministry’s budget. As has become custom to the APC led government, they all had a barrage of excuses. This time the icing on the excuse cake was preposterously splashed by the FG in a failed attempt to exonerate itself from the disgrace that is the 2016 budget.

A statement issued by the FG’s spokesman revealed to a bewildered nation, that a budget mafia was responsible for inserting all the frivolous and duplicitous figures in the budget. The devil must be seething with rage at the nerve to tell such blatant lies of elephantine proportions.

From it being missing, to it being withdrawn and only recently being out rightly denied by the very people who put together it’s duplicitous component parts, the 2016 budget has been enmeshed in all shades of hilarity and shown for exactly what it is; a carefully crafted plot to defraud the Nigerian people. If the APC led government is worth the ballot paper through which it was voted into power, the least it should do as a matter of national importance is to summarily withdraw the scandalous document from the National Assembly forthwith. That is the minimum expectation from Nigerians who are still shocked at their effrontery.

In the great words of Sherlock Homes, when all that is impossible has been removed, the remaining however improbable must be the truth. The impossibility that the 2016 wrote itself is already established. It is improbable that Buhari and his Ministers were unaware of what they signed off on. That our national budget has been treated in such a shambolic, scruffy and scornful manner, the only inference that can be drawn from this whole nauseating episode therefore is that Buhari and the government he leads, has shown a contemptible level of irresponsibility and incompetence.

And that is the truth!

http://www.opinionriver.com/the-2016-budget-1800-pages-of-putrid-mess/

That our national budget has been treated in such a shambolic, scruffy and scornful manner, the only inference that can be drawn from this whole nauseating episode therefore is that Buhari and the government he leads, has shown a contemptible level of irresponsibility and incompetence.

And that is the truth!


Spot on

Zombies would rather have you sing Buhari's praise than criticise him regardless of how constructive you are in your criticism of bad actions of Mr President. Anything short of praise, you are wailing and should be shouted down even when they are almost fainting due to hunger occasioned by several wrong actions of Mr President.

For every single day the budget is not passed, avenues for looting the treasury are being created and utilized. Congrats to change, I don't see a budget till the middle of this year at the earliest meaning developmental activities for 2016 would go down the drain and the year would be wasted like last year. During the buffoons tenure, impeachment proceedings would have been instigated against him.

Apshits!!! Apc playing opposition against itself... what better thing to say than more grease to your elbow!!!

cc:obiagelli and co

talktimi:
BY – CHARLES OHIA


When all that is impossible has been removed, the remaining however improbable must be the truth’’ – Sherlock Holmes

On the morning of the 22nd of December 2015, Nigerians were glued to their television sets watching their President, Muhammadu Buhari make a presentation of the 2016 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly. At the end of it all, the presentation was applauded by a number of Nigerians as one of the finest hours of Buhari’s seven month old Presidency. But as it is with football, after the applause has died and the last fan has departed, the stadium is left in a mess. And that is exactly what the Buhari led government has left Nigerians with; a mess. At least going by the revelations so far. But first, the genesis.

Many had expected Buhari to hit the ground running immediately after his inauguration, but instead he became subsumed in a befuddling gale of lethargy as epitomised by his questionable decision that constituting a cabinet could wait. A wait the country is finding increasingly arduous to recover from. One would have thought that the circumstance of his coming into power was all the impetus he needed to constitute a competent economic team as well as appoint a substantive Minister of Finance. But no! Instead, as has become custom, Nigerians were suffused with justifications as to why Permanent Secretaries were the best things to have happened to governance in Nigeria, by those Reuben Abati famously described as the “new stars and celebrities who though not necessarily the most educated or knowledgeable, but who populate the social media space with their fast-food type intellectualism”.

This is spite of the fact that the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was losing billions with each passing week. This was in spite of the fact that jobs were being cut. This was in spite of the fact that instead of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), we were witnessing huge capital flight, since no one except Buhari had the vaguest idea of the economic thrust of his government. This was in spite of the fact that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which is a precursor to the budget was constitutionally due in August. This was in spite of the fact that our foreign reserves were dwindling in response to rapidly falling oil prices and a foreign exchange (FX) regime that made sense only to the formulators of our monetary policy.

Eventually, when the Ministers were appointed amidst all the drama that came with it, the disappointment was profound. It was inconceivable that these men and women were the reason why we had lost six months of a semblance of governance. However, we are a people of resilience and so we accepted our fate with a mixture of humility, equanimity and righteous decibel levels of wailing. Isn’t that why in spite of being one of the lowest ranked countries on the Human Development Index and having the worst energy efficiency per capita in the world, Nigerians were adjudged as the happiest people on earth? Nevertheless, our collective expectation of these Ministers was to drive the policy of the new government through their various ministries. Their first major task was the development of an economic blueprint in form of a budget. It turns out that their collective effort is an epic fail.

They failed in colours so fly that Joseph’s famed coat of many colours will go green with envy.

Or how else do you explain the atrocious proposal of N1Billion by the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology for the purchase of chairs and tables? How else do you explain that it was proposed for rents to be paid for the Presidential villa? How do you explain that the Power, Works and Housing Minister proposed to spend N500 million on attending ‘statutory meetings’? How else do you explain that the Minister of Interior proposed to spend an amount 2,500% higher from last year on refurbishing his office? How else do you explain that a Unity School under the Ministry of Education budgeted twenty different unrelated items for the exact same sum of N400, 237? I can go on and on through the dizzying labyrinth of frivolities.

On the surface, it does seem like a genuine arrant display of ineptitude and incompetence. However, on closer scrutiny, what strikes any discerning mind is the fact that this document was deliberately cobbled together as a special purpose vehicle to hoodwink Nigerians and in the process blindly pillage whatever is left of our collective patrimony beyond whatever palliatives medical science or miracle can render. But there is a limit to which Nigerians can be taken for a jolly good ride and this is exactly what galvanized well-meaning Nigerians to condemn the 2016 budget in its entirety. The results are as ubiquitous as they are effective.

First it was the Minister of Education; Adamu Adamu who stated in unambiguous terms that he was unaware of the hidden N10B that was discovered by the NASS members during their review of the budget.

This was followed strangely but not unexpectedly by the Minister of Health; Professor Isaac Adewole who declared a few days ago in very shocking fashion that the figures attributed to his Ministry were not what was submitted by him. He took it to comical heights by asserting that he was going to submit his own version of the budget to the National Assembly; definitely ignorant that the Fiscal Responsibility Act prohibits Ministers from individually handing in their budgets to NASS. Of course, when it comes to repudiation, The Information Minister, Lai Mohammed cannot be outdone. He too refuted his ministry’s budget. As has become custom to the APC led government, they all had a barrage of excuses. This time the icing on the excuse cake was preposterously splashed by the FG in a failed attempt to exonerate itself from the disgrace that is the 2016 budget.

A statement issued by the FG’s spokesman revealed to a bewildered nation, that a budget mafia was responsible for inserting all the frivolous and duplicitous figures in the budget. The devil must be seething with rage at the nerve to tell such blatant lies of elephantine proportions.

From it being missing, to it being withdrawn and only recently being out rightly denied by the very people who put together it’s duplicitous component parts, the 2016 budget has been enmeshed in all shades of hilarity and shown for exactly what it is; a carefully crafted plot to defraud the Nigerian people. If the APC led government is worth the ballot paper through which it was voted into power, the least it should do as a matter of national importance is to summarily withdraw the scandalous document from the National Assembly forthwith. That is the minimum expectation from Nigerians who are still shocked at their effrontery.

In the great words of Sherlock Homes, when all that is impossible has been removed, the remaining however improbable must be the truth. The impossibility that the 2016 wrote itself is already established. It is improbable that Buhari and his Ministers were unaware of what they signed off on. That our national budget has been treated in such a shambolic, scruffy and scornful manner, the only inference that can be drawn from this whole nauseating episode therefore is that Buhari and the government he leads, has shown a contemptible level of irresponsibility and incompetence.

And that is the truth!

http://www.opinionriver.com/the-2016-budget-1800-pages-of-putrid-mess/

Passingshot and ngenekwenu

baralatie:

Passingshot and ngenekwenu

THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, LEMME CALL ON THEIR 'DADDY' AGBAYA GBAWE, THE KING OF EPISTLE??

'He Who Dances With The Surughede, Does Not Know That The Surughede Is A Dance Of The Spirit'.
After Flying Round The Entire Country With Corrupt Politicians Loots From Their Various States, You Honestly Don't Expect Them Not 2 Have A Hold On You.
Our Dear President Is In A Political Labyrinth. A Famished Road Which Was Once A River. And Because It Was Once A River. . .It Will Always Be Hungry.
In Short. . .Mr. President Don Enta One Chance.

REALLY A SHAME I MUST SAY. THE CHANGE PROJECT HAS BECOME A SHORT-CHANGE OF THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE

buari dullard should resign immediately.

OZAOEKPE:

THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, LEMME CALL ON THEIR 'DADDY' AGBAYA GBAWE, THE KING OF EPISTLE??

Gbawe has gone to learn how to summarize, he's a good boy now

oganology33:
'He Who Dances With The Surughede, Does Not Know That The Surughede Is A Dance Of The Spirit'.
After Flying Round The Entire Country With Corrupt Politicians Loots From Their Various States, You Honestly Don't Expect Them Not 2 Have A Hold On You.
Our Dear President Is In A Political Labyrinth. A Famished Road Which Was Once A River. And Because It Was Once A River. . .It Will Always Be Hungry.
In Short. . .Mr. President Don Enta One Chance.

Buhari needs a reality check, I would have added prayers but there's enough prayers already. This rigmarole must stop before even Zimbabweans start making fun of our economy

Buhari wanted to steal.

Unfortunately for him , Nigerians caught him.

EternalTruths:
Buhari wanted to steal.

Unfortunately for him , Nigerians caught him.

red handed sef, his advisers promised him that Nigerians don't read but it was a fat lie

talktimi:
red handed sef, his advisers promised him that Nigerians don't read but it was a fat lie

Even lie Mohammed had to take cover.

Mark my words

PEOPLE ARE READY TO EXPOSE BUHARI IF HE STEALS ONE KOBO.

UNKOWN EYES ARE WATCHING HIM

baralatie:
cc:obiagelli and co

Obiageli too is wailing profusely, infact, she is wailing more than the bereaved! What can the poor girl do, she has been scammed!

All APC power mongers wanted to achieve was use a spent force like Buhary purported to score 12m votes once upon a time to have a smooth ride to power! Buhary is lonely as we speak, the father has become an orphan. He is clueless about governing a complex nation like nigeria. He didn't even know he was going to win, he was only playing the spoiler but Tinubu and co took him too seriously and shot him into limelight!


Buhari should resign now and let Osinbanjo take over!

EternalTruths:
Buhari wanted to steal.

Unfortunately for him , Nigerians caught him.

Mehn! ......if you see silos of yam wey him hide inside the budget....

EternalTruths:


Even lie Mohammed had to take cover.

Mark my words

PEOPLE ARE READY TO EXPOSE BUHARI IF HE STEALS ONE KOBO.

UNKOWN EYES ARE WATCHING HIM

Lie Mohammed has to be investigated for the way they allowed Buhari present a budget they knew they would disown. They're embarrassing the poor man

The errors are not beyond redemption, some wailing zombies are crying more than the bereaved. The budget is still a DRAFT and not yet an ACT. Any error discovered now can be corrected , it is a good thing ministers have disowned some of these paddings and are willing to make corrections; that shows integrity. The ministers had less than 30 days to oversee the budget. What the budget errors also shows is that there are still several stubborn goats, mostly civil servants (Dgs,permsecs, Directors, e.t.c) who still want to have a taste of yams from Nigeria's barn. I believe by the second week of March, that is less than a month from now, the budget will be passed, the current government is suffering from teething issues, which is clear , but the wailing zombies always pray for the failure of the current government, so they can wail as they were predestined on March 28, 2015.

chinchum:
The errors are not beyond redemption, some wailing zombies are crying more than the bereaved. The budget is still a DRAFT and not yet an ACT. Any error discovered now can be corrected , it is a good thing ministers have disowned some of these paddings and are willing to make corrections; that shows integrity. The ministers had less than 30 days to oversee the budget. What the budget errors also shows is that there are still several stubborn goats, mostly civil servants (Dgs,permsecs, Directors, e.t.c) who still want to have a taste of yams from Nigeria's barn. I believe by the second week of March, that is less than a month from now, the budget will be passed, the current government is suffering from teething issues, which is clear , but the wailing zombies always pray for the failure of the current government, so they can wail as they were predestined on March 28, 2015.

the problem right now is that ministers can't present a budget different from what the president presented. Buhari will have to officially withdraw this one with shoulder pad

Blame APC zombies, they made Buhari super comfortable with mediocrity through blind support and gross stupidity.

talktimi:
the problem right now is that ministers can't present a budget different from what the president presented. Buhari will have to officially withdraw this one with shoulder pad

That is still not much of an issue, the ministers can harmonise what they have for each ministries , and a new one is sent to the national assembly with the presidents assent. There have been times in the past when budget were passed in April, that is not to say that is ideal or right, but the current admin is a new one,not just a new admin, but a new party in power after 16 uninterrupted years of PDP. it has a higher likelihood for teething issues.

chinchum:
That is still not much of an issue, the ministers can harmonise what they have for each ministries , and a new one is sent to the national assembly with the presidents assent. There have been times in the past when budget were passed in April, that is not to say that is ideal or right, but the current admin is a new one,not just a new admin, but a new party in power after 16 uninterrupted years of PDP. it has a higher likelihood for teething issues.

You guys have got talents. It baffles me how you guys could come up with excuses for inexcusable actions. Now I know the supposedly propaganda machinery of APC is for real. I give it you guys, you know your craft very well. Bravo! Bravo!! Bravo!!!

dy foolish zombies of the west called dy yorubas put us in dis mess just imagine paying rent for ASO VILLA

chinchum:
The errors are not beyond redemption, some wailing zombies are crying more than the bereaved. The budget is still a DRAFT and not yet an ACT. Any error discovered now can be corrected , it is a good thing ministers have disowned some of these paddings and are willing to make corrections; that shows integrity. The ministers had less than 30 days to oversee the budget. What the budget errors also shows is that there are still several stubborn goats, mostly civil servants (Dgs,permsecs, Directors, e.t.c) who still want to have a taste of yams from Nigeria's barn. I believe by the second week of March, that is less than a month from now, the budget will be passed, the current government is suffering from teething issues, which is clear , but the wailing zombies always pray for the failure of the current government, so they can wail as they were predestined on March 28, 2015.

will u say d same tin if it was GEJ

woodcook:


You guys have got talents. It baffles me how you guys could come up with excuses for inexcusable actions. Now I know the supposedly propaganda machinery of APC is for real. I give it you guys, you know your craft very well. Bravo! Bravo!! Bravo!!!

what is your point, when something is a draft it means it is subject to change when reviewed. If fraudulent paddings are discovered, then they must be addressed.
Who indicated those paddings is the first question any sane person should ask. Was it pmb or his ministers?I doubt that, although, Yes, they can't be completely absolved, but, certain ministers have decided not to cover up their wounds under the clothing, and exposed it, so it can be treated. The 2016 budget draft error is a good learning curve for 2016 budget implementation and even next years budget draft

We urge patience, the errors will be rectified. Nigeria shall be great

Sai baba

chinchum:
what is your point, when something is a draft it means it is subject to change when reviewed. If fraudulent paddings are discovered, then they must be addressed.
Who indicated those paddings is the first question any sane person should ask. Was it pmb or his ministers?I doubt that, although, Yes, they can't be completely absolved, but, certain ministers have decided not to cover up their wounds under the clothing, and exposed it, so it can be treated. The 2016 budget draft error is a good learning curve for 2016 budget implementation and even next years budget draft

Bro who ever hired you tell the person I said you are a good hire.Arguing with you on this issue is sensele.

drss:
will u say d same tin if it was GEJ

budget implementation and supervision is more of the problem, gej was almost impeached in 2012, the capital arm of that years budget had less than 40% budget implementation. If someone comes out to say if he has discovered an error in what he is supposed to defend, he ought to be commended for such truth. Why the error came about should be the discourse. It tells us the civil servants of agencies and ministries still want status quo , yesterday, it was reported how a particular DG presented the the 2015 budget verbatim as 2016, that is the kind of discourse we should be having, it tells us the ministers need to place less trust on the so called technnocrats.

Reps threaten to Impeach Jonathan over budget execution

The House of Representatives, on Thursday, threatened to commence impeachment move on President Goodluck Jonathan over what it described as poor implementation of the 2012 budget.

The lawmakers also cautioned the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the non-release of funds to ministries, departments and agencies of government to implement projects.

They further urged President Jonathan to direct the Mrs Okonjo-Iweala to stop forthwith her violation of the 2012 budget as passed by the National Assembly and release, accordingly, first and second quarters’ appropriation to the MDAs and implement the budget to the letter.

The House’s took made these resolution following a motion moved by Albert Sam-Tsokwa and 20 others entitled: “Poor implementation of the 2012 budget,” noting that, “while the recurrent expenditure has kept pace with expectations, capital budget implementation seriously lags behind and leaves much to be desired.”

According to Mr Sam-Tsokwa, “whereas the majority of MDAs have reached advanced stages in the implementation of the procurement process, they are unable to release contract award letters as a result of the release of insufficient funds or non-release of funds, which has further exacerbated the crushing burden of accumulated debts.”

He said that “the 2012 national budget was passed with aggregate expenditure figure of N4.887 trillion, including the N180 billion for the Subsidy Re-Investment Programme (SURE-P).”

Various chairmen of the House committees that contributed to the debate, which generated heated arguments and emotions, berated the executive for the poor implementation of the 2012 budget and equally frowned on the false alarm being raised by the Minister of Finance that the country was broke.

The lawmakers then submitted that from the data they obtained from various government revenue generating agencies, except the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the country’s economy was not doing badly, as most of the agencies were said to have already surpassed their targets.

The Minority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamiala, said that “President Goodluck Jonathan promised Nigerians a budget of transformation, but what we have is a budget of abracadabra and a voodoo economy.”

Backing his impeachment call with Section 143, Mr Gbajabiamila said, “if by the time we resume in September 18, 2012, budget has not been implemented by 100 per cent, we shall begin the impeachment process on Mr President.”

However, the House Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, cautioned the lawmakers on the impeachment threat, stressing that she believed that before the lawmakers resumed from their recess on September 18, 2012, things would have changed for the better.

Jonathan reacts

The Presidency have reacted to the impeachment threat by House of Representatives on President Goodluck Jonathan over budget implementation saying the President is equally worried by the concerns raised by the House.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati said that President Jonathan was on the same page with the House of Representatives on the need for efficient budget implementation.

He said there was no conflict between the two arms of government, noting that the President was also concerned about budget implementation.

Vanguard newspaper reported Mr Abati as saying “the House and the President are on the same page on budget implementation. Just as the House is concerned, Mr. President is concerned too. What happened today (yesterday) in the House was ironic and a big coincidence because two ministries: interior and police affairs, were in the Villa to make presentations on their key performance index.

“Each ministry came with all the parastatals under it and presented their KPI in relation to Budget 2012. They were required to state their mandates, the money they collected under Budget 2012, their level of performance and their challenges if any and then define their next steps. After each presentation, there was robust discussion.”

Brugge:


Bro who ever hired you tell the person I said you are a good hire.Arguing with you on this issue is sensele.

Whatever rocks your boat, i guess making objective analysis means i am hired

chinchum:
That is still not much of an issue, the ministers can harmonise what they have for each ministries , and a new one is sent to the national assembly with the presidents assent. There have been times in the past when budget were passed in April, that is not to say that is ideal or right, but the current admin is a new one,not just a new admin, but a new party in power after 16 uninterrupted years of PDP. it has a higher likelihood for teething issues.

This is not a time to have a trainee government at the helm of affairs.Nigeria is becoming a laughing stock all over the world.Its almost as if we dont have a governtment in place.