CSJ urges NASS to expunge N227bn frivolous items from 2022 budget

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) a non-governmental organization (NGO) Thursday urged the National Assembly to expunge N227 billion frivolous line items in the 2022 proposed Federal Government Budget.

President Muhammadu Buhari had presented the N16.39 trillion 2022 Budget on 7 October 2021, to the Joint Session of the National Assembly.

However, CSJ in the publication titled: “Frivolous, Inappropriate, Unclear and Wasteful Estimates in the 2022 Federal Appropriation Bill” said Nigeria’s revenue is simply inadequate to fund fundamental expenditure.

The Lead Director of CSJ, Barr. Eze Onyekpere, briefing newsmen in Abuja said, “Every available fund should be spent with the greatest value for money, tied to a high-level national policy framework and aimed at improving livelihoods, growing the economy, reducing poverty and inequality, adding value, etc.

“It is against this background that the pullout of frivolous, inappropriate, unclear and wasteful expenditure calls the attention of the executive, legislature, private sector, civil society including the media to these frivolities at a time of grave national crisis,” he said.

Onyekpere quoted the 2022 Budget Call Circular as directing that “resources are to be allocated based on actual needs, in line with the immediate needs of the country as well as government’s developmental objectives and priorities.” Starting from the Presidency’s State House Headquarters, the pullout calls on the leadership to lead by example. Spending billions of naira every year on routine maintenance of State House facilities is a huge waste. All statutory transfers are stated as lump sum provisions without details.

“No person, government agency or organisation has the right in a constitutional democracy to spend public funds in a way and manner that is unknown to the ultimate sovereigns, being the taxpayers and citizens. The National Assembly (NASS) is called upon to review its estimates and reduce same by not less than 25% to free up resources for other important needs of the economy. This will amount to an allocation of N100.5 billion and savings of N35.5 billion,” he said.