By Joke Falaju, Abuja
Board of Trustees, ActionAid Nigeria has expressed dismay at the fresh request of President Muhammadu Buhari for a loan of $800million few days to his exit from office.
They stated that the request for a fresh loan is appalling and must be rejected by the Nigerian Senate.
They also stressed that the federal government must backtrack on her borrowing spree and proffer workable and sustainable solutions to grow the economy rather than a fixation on distributing $16 per person for two years, which will have minimal or no impact in lowering the cost of living and poverty.
According to a statement by the Board after a review of the State of the Nation, the body tasked President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to take measures to improve the distribution of infrastructure, crack down on fuel hoarding and diversion, and increase fuel importation in the long term.
The statement, signed by the Board Chair, ActionAid Nigeria, Dr. Jummai Umar-Ajijola stressed: “Nigeria must invest in domestic refining capacity, diversify the economy to reduce dependence on oil, and promote alternative energy sources.”
They also urged the President-elect to prioritise the conduct of a national census, owing to the importance of the data for policy making, planning, and resource allocation, adding that successful census will be critical for Nigeria’s development especially in hard-to-reach communities and locations with security threats.
The Board noted: “The incoming government must prioritise funding to all security agents in Nigeria to enhance intelligence services and improve infrastructure through training and standardised equipment. This should also include strengthening community policing initiatives.”
The board acknowledged that the nation has been through tough times, saying that part from the rancorous and disempowering nature of the politics that characterised the just-concluded elections, Nigerians also had to put up with socio-economic disruptive challenges, such as the poorly thought-out, badly timed, and poorly implemented Naira redesign policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and a combination of insecurity and high inflationary rate occasioned by banditry, killings, and activities of herdsmen, including abductions.
The ActionAid Board of Trustees, however, recommended the need for Federal and State Governments, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Civil Society organisations and all stakeholders involved in Nigeria’s electioneering to work together to audit the entire election process from the beginning to the end, which must include a national debate to address all the critical challenges that still confront our electoral process to ensure more transparency and help to build peoples’ confidence in the democratic process.
Source: The Guardian
