PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
'How to fund fuel subsidy in Nigeria'
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - As the debate on fuel subsidy rages in Nigeria, amid a nation-wide fuel strike, the NGO Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to “move swiftly to cut down the unnecessary spending and waste in the 2012 budget'' and to use the money to fund fuel subsidy.
In a statement made available to PANA here Thursday, SERAP said such action on the part of the government would end the subsidy logjam and the suffering of millions of Nigerians.
“A key argument by the government on why it must remove fuel subsidy has been that it needs money to improve the infrastructural development of the country. Well, if this government is genuinely serious about improving the quality of lives of ordinary Nigerians, it should go back to the basics and cut down the questionable priorities and waste so visible in the 2012 budget.
“Spending billions of dollars on travel, refreshments, generators and furniture while ordinary Nigerian women, men and children go without basic social services is incompatible with the purpose of government, and cannot be justified on any ground, especially at a time when over 70 percent of the citizens live in extreme poverty, without reliable access to drinking water, electricity, and quality schools” the organization also said.
Sepcificially, SERAP urged President Jonathan to show ''strong political will by cutting down the following allocations contained in the 2012 budget: N13 billion for local and international travel; N4.5 billion for stationery, magazines, newspapers; N17 billion for maintenance of vehicles, furniture; N5 billion for training; N4 billion for generators; N9 billion for refreshments and meals; N2.5 billion for computer software; and N27 billion for research and development.” - US$1=155 Naira).
“President Jonathan should also cut down the waste identified in the allocations for the Aso Rock Villa budget by reducing N285 million for welfare; N265 million for computers; N150 million for scanners; N161 million for buses; N295 million for new furniture; and N1.8 billion for the maintenance of existing furniture, office and residential quarters,” it said.
It said the only way the government can convert the country’s oil wealth into sustainable development that improves the lives of all Nigeria ''is togenuinely fight the endemic corruption in the fuel subsidy system, repair all existing refineries and build new ones; and reinvest the questionable spending in the 2012 budget in sectors that have a direct impact on their lives.”
Nigeria Thursday entered the fourth day of a nation-wide strike called to protest the removal of state subsidy of fuel, that has taken petrol prices from 65 naira (US$0.4) per litre to at least 141 naira (US$0.9).
-0- PANA SEG 12Jan2012
In a statement made available to PANA here Thursday, SERAP said such action on the part of the government would end the subsidy logjam and the suffering of millions of Nigerians.
“A key argument by the government on why it must remove fuel subsidy has been that it needs money to improve the infrastructural development of the country. Well, if this government is genuinely serious about improving the quality of lives of ordinary Nigerians, it should go back to the basics and cut down the questionable priorities and waste so visible in the 2012 budget.
“Spending billions of dollars on travel, refreshments, generators and furniture while ordinary Nigerian women, men and children go without basic social services is incompatible with the purpose of government, and cannot be justified on any ground, especially at a time when over 70 percent of the citizens live in extreme poverty, without reliable access to drinking water, electricity, and quality schools” the organization also said.
Sepcificially, SERAP urged President Jonathan to show ''strong political will by cutting down the following allocations contained in the 2012 budget: N13 billion for local and international travel; N4.5 billion for stationery, magazines, newspapers; N17 billion for maintenance of vehicles, furniture; N5 billion for training; N4 billion for generators; N9 billion for refreshments and meals; N2.5 billion for computer software; and N27 billion for research and development.” - US$1=155 Naira).
“President Jonathan should also cut down the waste identified in the allocations for the Aso Rock Villa budget by reducing N285 million for welfare; N265 million for computers; N150 million for scanners; N161 million for buses; N295 million for new furniture; and N1.8 billion for the maintenance of existing furniture, office and residential quarters,” it said.
It said the only way the government can convert the country’s oil wealth into sustainable development that improves the lives of all Nigeria ''is togenuinely fight the endemic corruption in the fuel subsidy system, repair all existing refineries and build new ones; and reinvest the questionable spending in the 2012 budget in sectors that have a direct impact on their lives.”
Nigeria Thursday entered the fourth day of a nation-wide strike called to protest the removal of state subsidy of fuel, that has taken petrol prices from 65 naira (US$0.4) per litre to at least 141 naira (US$0.9).
-0- PANA SEG 12Jan2012
