The Pan Yoruba Socio- Political Group, Afenifere Tuesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to make Anti-Corruption crusade as its only agenda but face frontally the nation’s crippling economy.
It also kicked against the plan to finance the 2016 budget through excessive borrowing from international financial institutions.
Rising from its monthly meeting held at the Akure, Ondo state country home of its leader. Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the group kicked against the sensationalising of corruption by government
The groups spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin in a Communique issued and read to newsmen said “We were embarrassed and scandalized by the processes that characterized the presentation of 2016 budget which is unprecedented in the history of our country.
“That a budget will be presented, declared missing without knowing another one will surface and then President will now writes on the matter.
“If they were mistakes in the ealier budget presented, government should have come out clean and said sorry, we make mistakes and we want to correct the errors. We encourage the federal that this should not happen again in our country, it is embarrassing and scandalous.
“But more importantly, having gone through the whole budget presented, we have seen many headings in that budget which suggest that either we are not aware of the situation we are as a country or we are doing more of what brought us to where we are.
“They are scandalous expenditure in that budget which cannot be justified which are not rationale and which nobody should think is what we need as this moment.
“For instance we are in court prosecuting a fomer NSA, that he was alleged to have disbursed so much money. Now, in this current budget, after we have giving money to all security agencies, we still voted N50billion to the office of NSA.
“We have N3.9billion to buy cars for the Presidency, N800million for President Gym.
“They voted about N300million to lay cables to drivers rooms and we don’t know what that means in the government. Renovation of villas and the former president renovated the villas.
“Today the cost of producing a barrel of oil is $5 more than what is being sold in the market. So how are we going to continue to spend on this frivolities?
“We therefore call on national assembly to properly scrutinise every budget line and ensure that we have a budget that shows that we appreciate where we are as country and we are doing proper things in way to bring prudence into the system.
“We have noticed that in trying to solve the problem occasioned by the dwindling revenue, the federal government is introducing certain measures.
“One, we have noticed the increase in Kerosene price, Which can only increase the hardship of poor people of Nigeria, two we have noticed the imposition of N50 stamp duty on every bank deposit.
” We consider this an anomaly. That a central bank that should encourage banking culture in the country is trying to discourage banking culture.
“The excessive borrowing that is going to characterized the 2016 budget which are unhealthy. And for how long are we going to borrow?
“All these measures to us, are cleared that the federal government wants to run aways from solving out problems today which is to diversify the economy, by diversifying the economy is not possible without restructuring the country.
“We are saying and insisting that to get out of this economy crisis that this nation will not finally crumble, the federal government should immediately consider the restructuring of this country along the recommendation of 2014 national conference.
“The last government organised the conference and said they are going to implement the report, since government is a continum, the present government should immediately implement it so that we can create the new corridor of prosperity that will take Nigeria out of the current crisis we are facing.
Odumakin said that “Afenifere supports the review of anti-corruption war going on in the country. We support the war, because corruption is evil but we quickly warned that our war against corruption should not be selective, sectional and should be all embracing and compassing.
“It should be fought within the confines of rules of law. And the anti-corruption war should not be the only agenda of the government. They should concentrate on rebuilding the economy because we have seen countries that have been ravage by war, Liberia, Serria-Lonne, people took over government there and they started rebuilding the economy.
“So we should not turn anti-corruption to the only agenda. Building the economy is important.
“The naira is collapsing. Every sector is going down. Investors are leaving our country.
“This should attract the attention of the government but not to continue to sectionalise anti-corruption war because ultimately, our experience have shown that anti-corruption takes a long time to win the war.
“The last legacy is thing that are being put on ground that is the solid foundation that lay for the economy, while the agencies that are supposed to fight corruption are fighting it.
” Let EFCC, ICPC do their work. The duty of the Presidency is to rebuild the economy and not just the anti-corruption war.
The group however congratulate the new Ooni Ife Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and commended the step he has. Taken in uniting traditional rulers in Yorubaland.
The group also ” commiserate with the people of Ibadan on the passing away of Olu!adan of Ibadan.Oba Odugade Odulana and prayed that God should give the people of the town. the fortitude to bear the lost.
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