Budget: Northern elders write letter to President Buhari
Northern elders asked President Muhammadu Buhari to review capital allocations to the North in the 2016 budget
Accoding to them, allocations for capital projects given to the North-east and North-west are inadequate, and the whole region is shortchanged
Northern elders warned Buhari that if the allocations were not upwardly reviewed, it would cause problems for his government
The group advised the president to immediately establish an Economic Management Team as his present team is weak
Northern elders urged Buhari to establish an Economic Management Team and conclude appointments of key officers and advisers.
Northern elders have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to review capital allocations to the North in the 2016 budget, claiming that the region was shortchanged.
The Sun reports that the elders appealed to the president in a five-page letter entitled ‘Advice on National Issues’ and signed by Yusuf Maitama Sule, the elder statesman.
According to the group, allocations for capital projects given to the North-East, North-West and North-Central are inadequate, and the whole region is shortchanged.
Northern elders warned Buhari that if the allocations were not upwardly reviewed, it would cause problems for his government.
“We have conducted some analysis on the 2016 budget estimates which Mr President submitted to the National Assembly. We are concerned over the absence of equity in the allocation of capital spending. The three geo-political zones in the North are severely shortchanged.”
“For a region deserving greater resources and attention as well as being the political backbone of your administration, this situation will pose serious problems for your administration. We advise Mr President to review the proposed allocations in consultation with the National Assembly.”
“We wish to draw Mr. President’s attention to the fact that over 75% of all federal government public service employees are from the three geo-political zones in the South. This means that virtually the same percentage of recurrent spending will go to Nigerians from the South,” they said.
Further in its statement, the group described the president’s team as weak and advised him to immediately establish an Economic Management Team.
“We have noted the need for improvements in the human and institutional capabilities which aid Mr. President in governing the nation. As economic difficulties and demands for good governance become more challenging, the quality of advice and support Mr. President will require will need to be substantially raised.
“We urge Mr. President to establish an Economic Management Team and conclude appointments of key officers and advisers. Where there are evident weaknesses and gaps in skills, competencies, experience and integrity, we urge Mr. President to take steps to address them,” they wrote.
When contacted, Abdulrazak Saad Namdas, the spokesman of the House of Representatives, said that every gray area would be addressed in fresh negotiations with the presidency in respect of provisions in the 2016 budget.
“We are still awaiting response from Mr. President on the budget before we open further discussions,” he added.
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