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Tag: patriotic

  • Patriotic duty

    Patriotic duty

    • The Patriots’ visit to President Tinubu is the way to go

    It has become imperative that all knowledgeable Nigerians get involved in the task of governing the country. Governance is so important that it cannot be left to politicians alone. When left to them, the society suffers and narrow interests are pursued. But when other citizens and groups are watchful and contribute their quota to nation- building, there is accelerated progress.

    The Patriots, a group of eminent statesmen, took it upon themselves to deliver their reading of the current situation in the country to the President, and made recommendations. This is quite commendable. It is an example that other elders and groups, including the youth, women, professionals, academics and unionists, should follow as there is an urgent need for contestation of ideas if Nigeria is to be drawn out of the woods where it has found itself in recent years.

    Principally, The Patriots told the President that the 1999 Constitution cannot cut the ice. It has to be changed if the people are to be brought on board, and whatever new policies this government has are to stand the test of time.

    The group also contended that the existing political structure has failed and would continue to fail because no pluralistic country has ever succeeded except with the aid of a true federal constitution that allows federating units or subnational entities to function with a large dose of autonomy. Many authorities had earlier pointed out that the various regions that made up Nigeria at independence blossomed economically in the First Republic owing to the latitude allowed them to function largely independent of the centre, as they had their own policing network to enforce laws, their judicial structure and even constitutions. In fact, the Western Region had diplomatic presence in London.

    The Patriots also saw a labyrinth on the way to promulgating a new constitution as it suggested, as the operating supreme law does not make provision for a referendum, and without that, it is difficult to describe the ensuing

    constitution as autochthonous. The eminent men, many of them in their 70s and 80s, submitted that the way out is for the National Assembly to make provision for referendum to ratify the outcome of a wide-ranging consultation by a National Constituent Assembly. The assembly would submit its recommendations to the President who would send it to the federal legislature in the form of an executive bill.

    There is obviously no easy way out of the quagmire in which Nigeria has found itself. The President and the federal lawmakers need solomonic wisdom to sift through the tonnes of documents produced by former constitutional conferences and assemblies even if another assembly would be constituted. Whatever any group may suggest, or even the current leadership of the country may decide, some people  would come up with counter-arguments that would be as sound as the proposed.

    We see sense in the idea that the current administration is already on the right path to resolving the national logjam. At a time when the poor are hungry and angry, the economy ought to be given priority attention as President Bola Tinubu told The Patriots’ delegation led by former Secretary- General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku. The hunger and unemployment monsters must be tamed if people are to see any policy as anything but designed to punish them, or as evidence of incompetence. The administration has an urgent duty to tackle this to prevent a descent into an upheaval and chaos.

    This is not to underrate the need for political restructuring. Indeed, the existing structure is not only incongruous, but programmed to collapse at some point. The approach of gradual devolution of power to the federating units as shown in delisting electricity from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent is a masterstroke as it is also meant to give filip to the economy.

     States have been granted authority for mass transit by rail, even though this is yet to be formalised. This is another masterstroke in tackling the need of a state like Lagos. If the bracket could be expanded to allow for cooperation by contiguous states to move cargo and people across geo-political zones, the rate of inflation would likely further slope down the hill.

    Read Also: Conference of Patriotic Nigerians seeks end to protest 

    Similarly, last month’s activist posture of the Supreme Court in interpreting constitutional provision on payments to the local government is likely to inject life into the third tier of government in the country, thus freeing them to make contribution to nation-building.

    We agree with the President that there is a need to tread cautiously while walking the constitution reform tightrope. In doing so, he should keep his eyes on the ball of revitalising the economy. Then, getting the national and state houses of assembly to effect devolution of power to the states through the instrumentality of constitution review is the only way to achieve desired results without upturning the cart, at least in the interim.

  • Ex-Reps Dep Speaker urges youths to be more patriotic

    Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Imo State governorship aspirant in the 2019 election,  Rt. Hon. Chukwuemeka Ihedioha, has appealed to Nigerian youths to be more dedicated to national duties by being patriotic when called to serve.

    Ihedioha made this call during his “Meet My People” Tour of Oru West Local Government chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Ihedioha, who has been on tour of all the councils in Imo State, stated that youths remain the leaders of tomorrow and the strength of any nation.

    He emphasised that no nation can grow without her youths, adding that Nigeria is blessed with hard-working and dedicated youths who can only build more on their level of patriotism to take over from the ageing leaders.

    He said: “I am convinced that Nigeria is blessed with diligent,  industrious and enterprising youths who are eager and ready to take over the mantle of leadership from the ageing generation of leaders and political class.

    “It is interesting to note that 61% of our present population is made up of youths who are yearning to be part of nation building. This call must be listened to because we have the best, most hard-working and brave youths around the world.

    “There is nowhere in the world, you won’t find a Nigerian youth struggling legitimately to carve a niche for him or herself to survive. This is one of my propelling forces, especially when I consider that Imo State has many of these youths around.

    “I feel obliged to say that they are part of the reasons inspiring me to serve. And I  want to pledge that if God willing I become governor of our great state, youths will take major responsibilities in my cabinet and administration.  This is why I keep appealing to our youths to be more dedicated and patriotic to service of our great country”.

  • Babalola; exit of a patriotic activist

    There was a period in this our troubled country when the students of the tertiary institutions were the conscience of the society. When students in those days took positive actions on society’s problems, the people listened because such actions were altruistic and usually they are for the betterment of the society. This is a far cry from the present situation where our students in the tertiary institutions are rudderless and are readily available to be hired for all sorts of malfeasance which are detrimental to society’s orderly growth and development. A key figure during the golden era of students’ activism in the country was Chief Moses Abidoye Morakinyo Babalola who was buried at Ibadan on February 9. The late Abidoye Babalola was a selfless students’ union leader, quintessential administrator and a caring community leader. He was born in 1934 to the family of Joseph Omowumi Babalola, the Alatunse of Ipetumodu in the present Osun State. The family is noted for its love for education and the family has produced notable scholars among whom was Professor Adeboye Babalola, the renowned Yoruba literary icon.

    The late Abidoye Babalola attended Offa Grammar School between 1950-1956 and in his final year was the Senior Prefect and won the coveted leadership prize. In 1957 he entered the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology where he caught his teeth as a students’ union activist. In the college, he was elected secretary of the students’ union in 1958/59 session and later as a Public Relation Officer of the defunct National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), which was the umbrella organizations of all the students in the tertiary institutions in the country then.  It was in this position that he became one of the honoured senior ushers during the Nigerian independence celebrations. According to him, ‘he was within a whispering distance’ of the Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and other shakers and movers of Nigeria in those days during the celebrations.

    By 1960, when the late chief entered the then University College Ibadan, he was already an accomplished student unionist and his reputation as a unionist prevented him from being admitted to do an honours degree in English because that department detested students’ unionism. He was subsequently admitted to a more liberal department of history for an honours degree.  In the 1961/62 session, he became the president of the Students’ Union, University College Ibadan and his tenure as the students’ union president was the golden era in students’ unionism in this country and it is yet to be surpassed. Unknown to the generality of Nigerians, our pre- independence leaders signed a secret pact with the British government for the establishment of a British military base in Nigeria after the attainment of independence by our country. This was at the height of the cold war and such a base could have made Nigeria a target of attack by the former Soviet Union in case of any conflict between the Soviet Union and the Western powers which included Britain, the owner of proposed military base in our country. Somehow, the arrangement for the secret base was made known to the students at Ibadan.

    The students under the late Abidoye Babalola quickly mobilized themselves into action so as to thwart this secret agreement. A strategic committee under the late legendary student union leader, Dapo Falase was set up and on November 21, 1961, Ibadan students under the late Babalola trooped to Lagos from their base at Ibadan. They carried their protest to the parliament buildings where the parliamentarians were meeting. Many parliamentarians on seeing the students ran for cover in their flowing agbada and babaringa. The demonstration, planned without detection by the authorities at the University of Ibadan and security agencies of the federal government, awoke the whole nation to the danger of having a military base in our country. The whole of Lagos was turned upside down on that day as a result of the students’ demonstration. The demonstration by these students which many people in the country regarded as a patriotic act jolted both the Nigerian and the British government and as a result the defence pact was abrogated on January 22, 1962.

    The second patriotic action taken by the students at Ibadan during the tenure of the late Abidoye Babalola was the protest against the insulting description of life in Nigeria in a postcard written by one Miss Marjorie Michelmore, a member of American Peace Corps. In the postcard, the young American who probably had never left her country before, wrote about the squalor and primitive conditions in which Nigerians lived. The students at Ibadan protested against this unflattering image of Nigeria and their protest nearly derailed the Peace Corps programme which was designed by the late President John Kennedy to win the friendship of people in the third world. Although the young lady apologized for her unguarded comments, she was sent home but the demonstration had salutary effect as the programme subsequently enjoyed improved training and orientation for those taking part in the programme. It is interesting to note that 58 years later, the President Donald Trump of USA also described the situation in our country in the same unflattering terms.

    The first Rag Day ever held by the students at the tertiary level was held by the students’ union of the University College Ibadan led by the late Abidoye Babalola. It helped to boost the image of the students not only in the eyes of University authorities but more importantly in the eyes of members of the public who regarded university students, because of their privileged position in the society as aloof and arrogant. The idea was mooted by the versatile Professor John Ferguson, the renowned Professor of Classics of the University. The rag day programme was designed to make ‘young privileged, able-bodied, mentally alert, future leaders of the nation to identify with the poor and the unfortunate in the society.’ The money collected from such venture was donated to the poor and charity homes. This is unfortunately a far cry from what happens nowadays when students in tertiary who participate in rag day event use the money collected for their personal upkeep instead of giving the collected money to the poor.

    On completion of his university education at Ibadan in 1964, as an history graduate, the late Abidoye Babalola joined his alma mater as an administrator rising to the post of Senior Assistant Registrar. One important post he occupied in the university was the post of an assistant to Mr. John Harris who was the acting Vice- Chancellor of the university when the country was at the verge of breaking up during the political crisis of 1966 and 1967 which led to the civil war. From the University of Ibadan, the late Abidoye Babalola was appointed pioneer Director of Administration of the Nigerian University Commission (NUC)  in 1974 and before he could settle fully into this job, he was appointed in 1976 as a commissioner in the then Western State  by the military governor of the state Brigadier David Jemibewon. He served at various times as commissioner for trade, industries, and co-operatives; education and agriculture and natural resources. After his stint as commissioner, he returned to University of Ibadan from where he eventually retired. As a seasoned administrator, he put his thought and administrative experience down in a book titled ‘The making of a University Administrator.’ In this book, he gave an insight into the administrative and political debacle faced by the authorities at the University of Ibadan before and during the Nigerian civil war. It should be a compulsory reading material for any aspiring university administrator. In retirement he helped to mobilize his people at Ipetumodu for the development of the town and for this he was conferred with the title of Alatunse of Ipetumodu , a title previously conferred on his father and brother.

    The late Abidoye Babalola is gone but the legacies he left as a students’ leader should be emulated by students in our tertiary institutions. His generation made the views of students on national issues to be known and respected. Nowadays, it is difficult to know the stand of our students on important national issues such as restructuring of the governance of the country, the quagmire in the security sector of the country, decay in the educational sector and other issues. This is tragic because the future belongs to them. Our students need to articulate their stands on how to get our country out of the present political, economic and social debacle so that they themselves will not turn out to be another ‘wasted generation’. The life of late Chief Abidoye Babalola is a pointer to how our students can make themselves relevant to the society.

     

    • Professor Lucas writes from Old Bodija, Ibadan.

     

  • Patriotic zeal

    •Governors and the Sultan deserve commendation for their roles in fostering national unity 

    Last week, in the wake of the recent threats to national unity, Governors Kashim Shettima of Borno, Aminu Masari (Katsina), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Simon Lalong of Plateau states embarked on a peace mission to some states in the South-South and South-East where conflict was threatening the fragile unity of the country.

    At the first port of call, Port Harcourt, where some misguided sympathisers of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) agitators had attacked the Hausa community and mosques, reportedly killing some people, the delegation assured the people of support. They consulted with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who promised to nip the budding crisis in the bud.

    In Abia State, the home of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was commended by his colleagues from the north for the prompt action he took in imposing a curfew on Aba and acceding to the security measures by the security forces. His statesmanlike action contributed in no small measure in calming nerves in the North. Even in Jos, the Plateau State capital, where some restive Hausa youth had attempted to unleash mayhem, the decisive action of Governor Lalong and the military restored peace.

    Although Imo State was not a theatre of the IPOB activities, it was obvious that a spillover of the conflict would have engulfed the state if Abia had imploded and a state of emergency declared there as already being suggested in some quarters. The Northern Governors Forum has demonstrated how to engender harmony in a plural society. We support their call that such consultation should continue with the South-South and South-East governors also undertaking a tour of the northern states to engender peace and progress in the land.

    The role of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, in dousing tension also deserves mention. He warned against violence in the north and said that anyone who wanted to attack any Igbo should attack him first. This is what we expect from political and religious leaders, not the hate speech which heats up the polity.

    The history of other countries, especially on the African continent, should inform us that development is impossible  in the midst of conflict. Nigeria cannot afford to be turned to a killing field.

    We restate our call on Nigerians in the  South-East and South-South to team up with other patriots in the North and West to build a nation that all will be proud of. We call on the Federal Government to complement the efforts of the governors in ensuring that meaningful dialogue is employed in the place of naked show of force in a bid to restore the pride of the state and restructure the country in line with the clamour by majority of Nigerians.

    It is obvious that the retention of a preponderance of political and economic power at the centre will continue to kindle the fire of mutual distrust.

    The civil war of 1967 to 1970 is too recent to be forgotten. The lives lost, infrastructure destroyed and, more importantly, the ruined social relations cannot be lost on us all.

    In commending the South-East governors during the tour, Governor Shettima said, “We have visited all these states to show solidarity and to encourage you, our brothers. You rose to the occasion when faced with difficulties. Your actions, collectively and individually, have given hope that Nigeria will rise above any challenge to its unity. We all owe it a duty to the Black race to make Nigeria work.”

    The future of the country is bright if all those who find themselves in leadership positions can rise to the demands of the moment by acting in the national interest.

     

  • Nigeria lacks patriotic national establishment

    SIR: WHEN I read in the papers that an ex-Commissioner of Police at a public lecture sniped at the Nigerian state and blamed the woes of the country on a particular people, I have to shake my head and wonder how he rose to that exalted position knowing that he ought to have interacted with those people without discrimination in the course of his tour of duty.

    The other day a high ranking senator on the floor of the senate said that Nigeria is not in crisis but only in recession; after all, while Ghana has $5billion dollars in her reserve, we have $25 billion dollars. It was a shocking statement to me. Change can only come about when there is a sense of urgency and a sense of community.

    Even though I supported his position not to sell the nation’s assets, I wish he had compared Nigeria to a post-Ghaddafi Libya shortly after the war with $USD 100 billion (I wish I knew how much now) or Algeria with over $USD 200 billion or to Saudi Arabia with $USD 700 billion. The latter country has chosen to not only diversify her economy but has cut the salary of government workers by 20 percent and reduced the salary of government ministers.

    Beautiful cities can only be built by beautiful leaders and be supported by beautiful citizens. Without beautiful leaders, there can never be beautiful citizens.

    I have sat down to watch Nigeria’s establishment players. Many came to national prominence during the military era, others during the civilian regimes, some rose to the heights through the winning of government contracts and many sat on peacock thrones thanks to the atmosphere created by government policies and financed by the same government with proceeds from the oil in some people’s backyard.

    There are only a handful of these players who are self-made men but even they are not as patriotic as an Abraham Lincoln. With Lincoln’s patriotism, these players would have thought and acted beyond “North” versus “South”. It was Lincoln’s patriotism that oiled his gunnery to liberate the blacks from the stranglehold of the southern behemoths.

    I listen to the news, watch television and read the papers a lot as a social commentator must need do. But I also feel the pulse of people from different regions who say what the people of their regions would love to hear, and have chosen to build a bulwark of regionalism around themselves, not nationalism. What I see and hear are classic cases of tribalism by people who profess to be nationalistic in their outlook in differing guises like religion, ethnicity, etc.

    Our national establishment players have failed to evolve in consciousness. As people evolve, people and things around them also evolve without discrimination.

    Instead of heaping scorn on people and regions we should be concerned about building competences and capacities for nation building.

    Just take a look at the rigorous process of electing a president in the U.S and compare it to ours.

    Certainly, the job of electing a person who sits on the apex of a nation ruling or managing other people’s life isn’t a joke and must not be taken lightly.

    Because of our penchant for mediocrity at all levels of existence, we often end up with the mediocre in power. The vibration of a majority of the people can’t be divorced from the vibration of the leaders they choose or elect.

    Have the people who superintend our affairs evolved? Are the worry-warts who do not see anything good in ‘those’ people truly enlightened? Have we truly developed the capacity to be self-sufficient in Nigeria? Is the federal civil service and state civil service a knowledge-based environment? Don’t be politically correct. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what the answers are. Let’s introspect, avoid unnecessary deliberations, and decide to be great and quit acting like Anthipather and Alexander in the Jewish era of 37-100 AD.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

  • Kwara Gov, Speaker urge Nigerians to be patriotic

    Kwara Gov, Speaker urge Nigerians to be patriotic

    As Nigeria celebrates its 56 years of independence, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has urged Nigerians to demonstrate more patriotism, commitment and dedication to collective goals to overcome the current challenges in the country.

    Governor Ahmed said the economic situation in the country may make livelihood difficult at present, but if Nigerians join hands together, the country will surely and steadily bounce back to prosperity.

    He advised Nigerians to have confidence in the present administration as all things are being done to ensure that the days of economic recession are over in the shortest possible time.

    Gov Ahmed assured Kwarans that his government is committed to delivering the dividends of democracy to the people by embarking on infrastructural development as well as policies and programmes to meet the social and economic needs of the people.

    The Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad, urged every Nigerian to put aside their ethnic differences, religious or political affiliation in order to make the country work.

    In a statement, media aide to the speaker, Shuaib Abdulkadir, said “there is no

  • Patriotic Nigerians must fight evil, says Osinbajo

    Patriotic Nigerians must fight evil, says Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerians who believe in pursuing the good of the nation to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s fight against evil.

    He spoke at the weekend in Fadan Kagoma, Kaduna State during the 2016 Khituk Gwong Day where he was the Special Guest of Honour.

    Osinbajo, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said in too many instances leaders from different areas of the nation’s life have tried to use religion and ethnicity to cause division in a bid to attain political and other selfish ends.

    “Sometimes political leaders use religion to divide, they use ethnicity to oppress the people,” the vice president said.

    A new Nigeria, he said, is now emerging that will include Christians, Moslems, people of all faiths and those who confess no faith.

    He said those Nigerians of the New Tribe are those who believe in truth, honesty and justice among other virtues that advance the right course for the country.

    He added: “This new Nigeria must be based on love for each other,” and must value integrity, Prof. Osinbajo declared stressing that it is indeed mandated in his own personal faith of Christianity to love everyone including “your enemy. ”

    He explained that Christians have to love those who hate them and despitefully use them, and even have to pray for their enemies.

    According to him, those who have been stealing from and looting the nation’s coffers are drawn from all ethnicity and faiths, but are united in their quest to steal.”

  • North’s governors to citizens: be patriotic

    North’s governors to citizens: be patriotic

    The Chairman, Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has called on the citizenry to draw lessons from the selfless life style of Jesus Christ and place the country above themselves.

    Aliyu, in an Easter message through his Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije in Minna yesterday, said with the collective effort of everyone, the nation would overcome its social and economic challenges.

    He urged politicians to imbibe the maturity witnessed during the Presidential and National Assembly elections, stressing that the beauty of the country’s democracy would be complete if the outcome of April 11 election is peaceful and people-based.

    The statement added: “Let me wish Nigerians a merry Easter celebration. Let me also call on Christians and Muslims to avail themselves in sacrificial duties for the good of Nigeria. We must eschew self, we must view issues from a collective bargain point of view, we must see ourselves first as Nigerians no matter the circumstance, and we must place country first.

    “Many prophecies of doom have been foretold that Nigeria will splinter. I am, therefore, glad that we have overcome a major factor that would have made the prophecy become a reality. We must, however, continue to imbibe the tenets of sacrifice and peace as we conclude elections in April 11.”

    The NSGF chair then expressed optimism that the country will continue to grow politically, socially and economically.

    He urged all to remain committed to the Nigerian project, insisting that ethno-religious cleavages would not take the country to its desired destination.

  • Be patriotic, lawmaker urges students

    Students have been told to promote good values and show patriotism to improve the image of the country. A member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Moshood Bakare, made the charge at the public lecture organised by the Department of Political Science of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State.

    Bakare whose paper was titled: I am a Nigerian stressed, the need for Nigerians to put aside ethnic, religious and cultural sentiments and be good ambassadors of the country, rather than promoting bigotry.

    The lawmaker urged students at the lecture to be patriotic, and break the boundaries created by the colonialism, by seeing themselves as brothers and sisters.

    The event also featured a debate on the topic: The manifestation of the Nigerian state: A blessing or a curse? The debate session was moderated by Haruna Kolo, a lecturer and the debaters were judged by panelists led by Dr. Saka Lukman. Other members of the panel of judges included Abdulkareem Hakeem and Muhammad Abdulazeez Bashir.

    The 100-Level students won the debate.

    Speaking with CAMPUSLIFE, a delegate from Al Hikimah University said the event was an enviable feat that should be emulated by other departments and schools.

    The event, which featured the launch of the department’s magazine, had in attendance students from other schools.

  • ‘Controversies over oil benchmark patriotic’

    ‘Controversies over oil benchmark patriotic’

    House of Representatives member Alhaji Zakari Mohammed has said that the controversy trailing the oil benchmark was in order. The chairman of the Media and Public Affairs Committee told reporters in Kosubosu, Kwara State that the House would act on the matter in national interest.

    Mohammed, who represents Baruten/Kaiama Constituency, spoke at the presentation of two buses and 25 motorcycles to the Peopoles Democratic Party (PDP) ward and local government executive committees in Baruten, Kaiama local government area of the state.

    He said: “We in the House said $80 per barrel, the federal government said $75. Let me tell you, in recent times, even in 2008 when we had meltdown, the barrel has never fallen below 100 dollars per barrel. So, we are now saying that why not let’s move on and make it 80 dollars per barrel so that the excess of five would be used to service domestic debt so that, rather than the public sector going to borrow money in the banks, it is the private sector that money should be made available so that employment opportunities would be improved upon. The only time that you can say our economy is doing well is when the private sector moves.

    “The Senate and House have agreed on a midway. Senate said 78, we said 80. But we have agreed at 79 eventually and the Federal Government adopted 79. That is exactly another way to tell people that we are very patriotic in our approach and that the house is not just the House of greenhorns; it is where we have experts to look at the economy. No individual has the monopoly of running economy because in some other parts too you know we have people who are worth their onions.”

    The legislator described the recent steps taken by some state Houses of Assembly to domesticate the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act in their states as steps in the right direction as it would assist greatly in strengthening democracy.

    He said: “It was in 2011 during the sixth Assembly that FoI Act was passed and, of course, the President assented to it. It is one of the steps to strengthen democracy. Because it would ensure there are no barriers to information especially for the media. That it came was quite encouraging.

    “If other states will domesticate it, why not? For us we believe that the media should have access to information and that of course will give us the strength and also strengthen our democracy in this part of the world. As much as possible we will try and see what happens, we will encourage that and for us as a nation we should begin to thread towards that path.”

    On 2013 budget, Mohammed said the National Assembly had played its constitutional roles by passing the bulk figure, adding that “the details of it, the nitty-gritty of it would then be worked out as soon as the house resumes from break”.

    He stressed: “We have passed a figure of about N4.987tr. for us we are expecting that when we come back, we would be able to look at the issues- the sectoral breakdown will be given by January. What we have is we have promised Nigerians that before Christmas we are going to pass the budget, we have done that, kept faith with it in spite of the fact that we have some reservations in it. But all those reservations will definitely be discussed in the plenary when we are discussing the sectoral analysis of the budget this year.”

    Mohammed also spoke on the deplorable condition of roads in Kaiama local government and gave hints of steps taken rectify them through the federal budget.

    He said: “As it is, we have Baruten/Kaiama road which is about 87kilometrers. Last year , we were able to get it into the budget, about N99m for the engineering design and drawing. This year, we are looking at the possibility of getting it back into the 2013 budget so that, at least, some parts of it will be awarded. I am sure, if that is done, we believe that the economic activities around there, we are agrarian, will at least be improved upon. Then, the Kishi/Kaiama road, the state government actually wanted to award the project but we are looking at the limitation, it is a federal road. It has limitation. But I am sure that the state government is actually thinking about doing it to get reimbursement much later.

    “Our own prayer is that, this year , we will try and see how some funds will at least get in there. Because it is a sorry state, that journey is not supposed to take us to at least an hour but we ended up spending more than two hours or three hours and it is seriously affecting economic activities in that area. So, we are calling on the federal government to look at it, give it a second look so that the people of Kaiama and Baruten to Ejiba extension will be happy”