[b][/b][/color][color=#000099][color=#990000][/color][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font][/size][size=8pt]President Jonathan, Senate President David Mark and Reps Speaker Aminu Tambuwal
Many Nigerians want governments across the three tiers to reduce the cost of governance so that more resources could be channeled towards development projects that impact positively on the quality of living, reports Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU.

For any society to make progress, there must be a government to run its affairs. However, citizens would perceive government as a burden when its recurrent expenditure is repeatedly higher that its capital expenditure, which should impact positively on the economy, especially in the areas of employment generation, investment and other activities that induce growth.


This is the challenge that stares Nigeria in the face. It is now incontrovertible that the cost of running a democratic government is high in the country. This is aptly demonstrated in this year’s budget. While N2.472 trillion is proposed for recurrent expenditure, a figure that accounts for the 72 per cent of the expenditure profile, N1.32 trillion, representing 28 per cent, is proposed for capital projects.

Observers believe that this may be due to the fact that political appointees perceive politics as a lucrative career. It is noteworthy that less than one percent of the projected 150 million population consumes the huge sum. The effects of over-bloated political bureaucracies involving the big federal government, 36 state governments and 774 local governments are alarming. There is disquiet among experts who believe that, when recurrent expenditure is high, it may impact negatively on implementation of capital projects and delay the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

How to reduce the soaring over-head costs has agitated many economists, members of the civil societies and other non-government orga-nisations. For example, foremost politicians, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae and Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, have advocated for a return to parliamentary system. To them, the Westminster model, which was in vogue during the First Republic, is less expensive. At the pre-National Conference Summit in Lagos, Falae, former Secretary to Federal Military Government, said a politician who wishes to serve as the Prime Minister would only campaign in his constituency as candidate for the House of Representatives, unlike a presidential candidate who is expected to traverse the nooks and crannies of the country to solicit for votes.

The expensive nature of the presidential system may have predisposed operators to have the pervading feeling that the quest for power is tantamount to political investment. And normally, returns accrue from investment. An economics teacher at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Adeolu Adewole, warned that when a large sum of money is deployed to the maintenance of government structures, it portends disaster.

“When a rising proportion of government budget, at whatever level, is used to support the administrative structures of government, poverty is bound to be pervasive as economic growth slows down or even stagnates”, said the university don. He added: “If we assume that government is a firm with output measured in GPD, then, it would not be difficult to see why the cost of production(measured here as cost of governance) seems to have risen over time”.

Other stakeholders have called for a part-time legislature at the federal and state levels. Yet, some believe that local government councillorship seats should be reserved for patriotic and tested retirees in the neighbourhood, who can still serve and receive stipends.

Last year, there was furore over the “presidential expenditure”. Critics raised eyebrow billions of naira were proposed for food, drinks and cutleries by Aso Rock in the fiscal year. Urging the federal government to cut the estimates, Government College Old Boys Association (GCIOBA) led by Mr. Banwo Smith said: “The cost of governance is astronomically high, bordering on extravagance. It is inconceivable that provisions for renovation, food, Aso Rock Clinic, overseas travels etc for the Presidency are too high. Every aspect of the budget is suspect and needs review downward”.

Under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, delegates to the collapsed National Political Conference in Abuja were alarmed by the retinue of presidential aides. No fewer than 60 special assistants, with duplicated responsibilities, swarmed the Presidency. It was a case of jobs for the boys, lackeys and surrogates.

The trend at the local government is more worrisome. Now, council chairmen have a retinue of aides on the council’s payroll. These appointees include special advisers, chiefs of staff, senior special assistance, supervisors for special duties, personal assistants for political matters, community matters, and office of first ladies of the councils.

In many federal ministries, there are ministers, ministers of state, special advisers, and special assistants-all drawing fat salaries. The size of the state political bureaucracy is not a wide departure. Ministries have been split across the states of the federation and numerous commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistance and special assistance appointed. The Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives and Speakers of Houses of Assembly also have numerous aides without clear-cut schedule of duties.

Many have argued that the rising cost of governance has not been accompanied by corresponding service delivery and efficiency of structures for function performance. The defunct Western Region, for instance, has been split to eight states. However, the output of the states have not matched the achievements of the golden era of Obafemi Awolowo’s premiership.

Echoing this lack of performance, despite the high income, rights activist Lanre Suraj, said those in power make money to the detriment of developmental priorities. “The wage bill for appointees alone shows that little is left for development. That is why they cannot tar roads, create employment, restore electricity and fix the refineries. As those in power get rich, the poor is abandoned in their poverty”.

For four years, the National Assembly has been criticised for drawing a huge income. Nigerian lawmakers earn prohibitive salaries in a country where the minimum wage for workers has drawn a wedge between government and labour. A senator earns N954,096 while a member of the House of Representatives earn N794,084 monthly. In Nigeria, federal lawmakers, under the guise of legislative functions, are fond of hiking figures in the budget.

Unlike a United States senator who earns 174,000 dollars and United Kingdom parliamentarian who earns N14,896,180 annually, a Nigerian senator gets about N29.79 million. More money is allocated to the office of the Senate President than that of the United States President. This has irked the Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, who cried out that, last year, of the N500 billion federal government overhead cost, the National Assembly took N136.2 billion, which represented 25.1 percent of the amount.

Governors have a convenient access to resources through the inexplicable security votes. This is an equivalence of presidential gulfstream jet. In fact, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission had been overwhelmed by the mounting allowances of public officers across the three arms of government at the state, federal and local levels. Apart from basic salaries, allowances cover details such as accommodation, furniture, overseas trips, motor vehicle loan, car fuelling, medicals, special assistance, domestic staff, entertainment, leave, and severance gratuity. The commission felt that a cut in salary would not be a bad idea.

To assuage the feelings of Nigerians who objected to fuel subsidy removal, President Goodluck Jonathan had also proposed a cut in the salary of the executive by 25 per cent. He also promised to trim down foreign trips and entourages.

The move was a delayed response to proposals by the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) chaired by Lt-Gen. Yakubu Danjuma. The committee had advised President Jonathan to reduce the number of ministries from 42 to 18 and fuse together the non-ministerial agencies to avoid overlap, duplication and redundancy. However, the President said that the idea of limiting the cabinet size was contrary to the constitution which stipulates that a state should be represented in the Federal Executive Council.

Civil societies have picked holes in the budget, alleging wastage. The Executive Director of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Tokunbo Mumuni, said certain questionable priorities, which underline the wastage, should be removed from the budget.

He said, at a time poor Nigerians lacked water, electricity, and quality schools, budgetary proposals should reflect national soberness. “The President should show strong political will by cutting down some allocations contained in the budget. These include N13 billion for local and international travels, N45 billion for stationery, magazines, newspapers; N17 billion for vehicle maintenance and furniture, N5 billion for training, N4 billion for generators, N9 billion for refreshment and meals, N2.5 billion for computer software, and N27 billion for research and development.

Religious leaders who expressed worry at the high cost of governance have also supported a drastic cut in emoluments for appointees. At its last synod in Akure, Ondo State capital, the Anglican Church, blamed the inability of some state governments to pay the new minimum wage on the expansion of government structures. The Bishop of Akure Diocese, Rev. Michael Ipinmoye, who read the church’s communique, lamented that the cost of governance in Nigeria is the highest in the world.

Apparently titling support towards part-time legislature, the cleric said that legislators’ salaries should be based on the number of times they sit, instead of drawing salaries as fulltime workers.

Some critics have drawn a connection between the high cost of governance and corruption. In fact, former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof. Oladipo Akinkugbe, who delivered a lecture in Akure recently titled: “Of stated goals and proven performance”, challenged the presidency and state governments to reduce drastically the cost of running government in order to effectively reduce corruption. The eminent scholar observed that when the large chunk of public money is consumed by political appointees, it is difficult to allocate resources judiciously to critical areas of development.

Cleric and politician, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who objected to the leakages in government, said Nigeria should go back to the past for lessons on governance. He established a relationship between the men of the old order and their latter-day successors, submitting that discipline, morality, ethics and principle have become outdated virtues in politics.

In his view, avarice and perception of the corridor of power as a veritable avenue for private accumulation have drawn the country backward. He queried: “How many politicians today can claim like Papa Ajasin that he entered Government House with the same sets of clothes and left with the same set of clothes or that he went in with the same assets that he left with?”

Instructively, Awo, who never lived in Government Quarters, had admonished his associates in government not to embrace the lifestyle they could not sustain outside office. Falae, who maintained that cabinet system is better than the executive presidency, recalled that Awo achieved that frugality and financial discipline because of the system of government in operation.

He stressed: “Under cabinet system, ministers come from the parliament. Therefore, the number of people that will make the cabinet is already pruned down. The Presidency is ceremonial and the Prime Minister, and premiers, who are the chief executives, are appointed from the parliament. They do not spend much before getting there and there is no mad rush to get the money back. If there is a national conference, we will re-open this option for debate among the ethnic nationalities. it is more efficient”.

Long posts but makes lots of sense.

In summary, the OP suggests:

1. A return to parliamentary system
2. Reduce the number of ministries from 42 to 18 and fuse together the non-ministerial agencies to avoid overlap, duplication and redundancy.

Instructively, Awo, who never lived in Government Quarters, had admonished his associates in government not to embrace the lifestyle they could not sustain outside office. Falae, who maintained that cabinet system is better than the executive presidency, recalled that Awo achieved that frugality and financial discipline because of the system of government in operation.

He stressed: “Under cabinet system, ministers come from the parliament. Therefore, the number of people that will make the cabinet is already pruned down. The Presidency is ceremonial and the Prime Minister, and premiers, who are the chief executives, are appointed from the parliament. They do not spend much before getting there and there is no mad rush to get the money back. If there is a national conference, we will re-open this option for debate among the ethnic nationalities. it is more efficient”.

Sorry, it can't be reduced.

I wish our suggestion here on nairaland will make a change. All what we need is overhauling of the system,
re-orientation and regional system of government. Let the three regions, East,West and North have their own
Heads of State and let the central government be made weak and the regional government be made strong.Let every region manage its resources simple!This will make everybody accountable.

Legislators should reduce their emoluments then we can get started.

Abeg, lets start by scrapping special adviser this, special adviser that.The list is long o, but lets start from here.

Get rid of all the corrupt Civil Servants and Crazy Politicians and cost of governance will come down drastically.

First have a government before thinking of reducing the cost of running it. A government acts at all times by for the interest of its people. A government abides by its own rule. A government is sincere to itself and its people.

First we have to meet up with before thinking of reducing the cost. How will you reduce the cost when the very people that constitute what we call government are pure criminals on the prowl, looking for what to steal?

When Criminals Rule, The People Perish. I am laughing at the poster the fundamental ignorance. You cannot build a house on nothing. Government must exist before you think of cutting its cost. We do not have government I repeat. We have criminal in power.

http://mondaymidnitevision..com/2011/07/when-criminals-rule-people-perish.html

seperating d wheat from d chaff..watz d point of having a ministry of internal affairs to increase our internal problems or a foolish advizer on religious affairs when a muslim and a xtian cant xchange drinks on sallah or xmas day?!

I wish our suggestion here on nairaland will make a change.[img]http://www.demama.info/hjk[/img]

Lets call for the SNC and or any avenue where we can ask for the constitution to be amended. The clause asking for each state to present a minister, senator and other elective positions be amended and the number of such positions reduced. We can then proceed from there...

Godman_n: First have a government before thinking of reducing the cost of running it. A government acts at all times by for the interest of its people. A government abides by its own rule. A government is sincere to itself and its people.

First we have to meet up with before thinking of reducing the cost. How will you reduce the cost when the very people that constitute what we call government are pure criminals on the prowl, looking for what to steal?

When Criminals Rule, The People Perish. I am laughing at the poster the fundamental ignorance. You cannot build a house on nothing. Government must exist before you think of cutting its cost. We do not have government I repeat. We have criminal in power.

http://mondaymidnitevision..com/2011/07/when-criminals-rule-people-perish.html

Brilliant!

Its a constitutional issue. Except d constitution is amended to that effort, we'll keep suffering it. Our constitution as it is presently, is damn too CON.

one word, 'ACCOUNTABILITY'

Yeah, I say we modify our constitution. We need fiscal federation. Each state should be able to fend for itself. This way revenue generation will increase. Also we dont need bicameral legislature. Our ministries should be trimmed down and all these jumbo allowances should be stopped.

[color=#000099][/color]Revome the governace itself...Period!Revome the governace itself...Period!Revome the governace itself...Period!

There are so many solid ideas that can make Nig work. Even without thinking i can give u fifty, but just as godman said, we don't have a govt and it will be useless sayin anythin when u don't have a govt.

BY VOTING FOR BUHARI

@mikolo80....voting Buhari is a dead issue now. Buhari can neva eva rule Nigeria again.if he contest in 2015,I will still vote for GEJ(should he decide to run). wen he was chairman PTF all he was doing was building roads in d north and producing books for the Southerners.if my claim is wrong! Hw many PTF roads can u point out in the whole south?He's a religious bigot and boko haram apologist.

Wat I will suggest is we go back to regionalism and practise true federalism in wich resource control would be paramount.

But I still believe we apply ojukwu's ideology..."Its beta we move further apart and have enof air to breathe than to come togeda and suffocate/perish"...a word is enof for the wise!

By removing unnecessary govt officials. What on earth is d job of a minister of state for ...? There are numerous special advisers, senior assistants, senior special advisers, amongst others. These people just feed fat on govt. How can we develop when 72% of our budget is spent on salaries?

We also need to make governance unattractive. The dependence on the central govt should be weakened.

The latest installment of my weekly column 'This Week in Nigeria:South Africa apologises over deportations, Nigerian unity extolled by Northern figureheads, Hostages killed in failed rescue mission & much more!

http://thinkafricapress.com/nigeria/blog/week-nigeria-south-africa-apologises-over-deportations

@OYEWE SO YOU PREFER JO TO BUHARI,NA WA O IGNORANCE PLENTY FOR NAIJA AT LEAST HE DID NOT STEAL .BESIDES IS KNOWLEDGE NOT BETTER THAN ROADS AND WAS THAT NOT WHAT HE WAS HIRED TO DO INFRASTRUCTURE AND EDUCATION.

AND WHAT IS THIS 'WE' YOU KEEP SAYIN.WHO ARE THE WE.WHEN YOU REFUSE TO VOTE FOR GOOD LEADERS

AND WHAT IS THIS 'WE' YOU KEEP SAYIN.WHO ARE THE WE.WHEN YOU REFUSE TO VOTE FOR GOOD LEADERS HOW WILL "WE" CHANGE ANYTIN

We can reduce cost of governance by appealing to GEJ to stop outsourcing governance to numerous committees and task forces. As at the last count, he has established 16 of such thereby duplicating functions of MDAs and other agencies of govt. created by law.Each member of these task forces and committees would require office space, ad hoc staff, vehicles and other paraphnelia of office outside emoluments. I do not know a single report of such committees that have been used to solve any problem in the past other than using them as diversionary tactics for Nigerians to forget a problem only for such problem to rear its head another time.

We can reduce cost of governance by appealing to GEJ to stop outsourcing governance to numerous committees and task forces. As at the last count, he has established 16 of such thereby duplicating functions of MDAs and other agencies of govt. created by law.Each member of these task forces and committees would require office space, ad hoc staff, vehicles and other paraphnelia of office outside emoluments. I do not know a single report of such committees that have been used to solve any problem in the past other than using them as diversionary tactics for Nigerians to forget a problem only for such problem to rear its head another time.

We can reduce cost of governance by appealing to GEJ to stop outsourcing governance to numerous committees and task forces. As at the last count, he has established 16 of such thereby duplicating functions of MDAs and other agencies of govt. created by law.Each member of these task forces and committees would require office space, ad hoc staff, vehicles and other paraphnelia of office outside emoluments. I do not know a single report of such committees that have been used to solve any problem in the past other than using them as diversionary tactics for Nigerians to forget a problem only for such problem to rear its head another time.

amend the constitution such that, budgets,salaries,and alot more are done with only tax payers money. The extra/ whole lot from oil should go strictly into infracstucture and reconstruction. That way reality stares us in the face, then we know how to cut salaries and wages.