Deji
Adeyanju, convener of a civil society group known as Concerned Nigerians, on
Friday described the N242bn virement approved by the Senate for funding the
2019 general elections as outrageous.
Speaking
with the Media in Abuja, he noted that the N242bn virement was more than the
combined sum of money spent on the 2011 and 2015 elections by the previous
government.
According to
him, N85bn and N93bn were spent for the two previous elections respectively not
withstanding the acquisition of hardwares such as data capturing machines, card
readers, and computers.
He further
questioned the rationality of the approved N242bn virement, which necessitated
slashing of the 2018 budgets of key ministries such as health and education as
well as funds for Social Investment Programmes and the President’s service-wide
vote when such basic hardwares were not necessarily going to be purchased for
2019 polls.
Adeyanju
absolved the National Assembly of blame in the public outcry that greeted the
slashing of the 2018 budget of the ministries.
His words:
“The funding for the 2019 elections is outrageous and does not stand up to
reason or correspond with electioneering reality in the country because 2011
Elections cost N85billion and 2015 elections cost N93b respectively.
“Under
President Buhari, N242b will be used for 2019 election.
“Now, we are
not buying anything unlike the previous elections that we bought data capturing
machines, card readers, computers & every other thing
“To the best
of my knowledge, in the virement request made on the National Assembly by the
executive, the legislature debated on the floor on how to fund the elections.
“They
initially concluded it must come from service wide votes and specifically from
poverty alleviation fund under vice president which was passed.
“Then the
executive came back that they didn’t want that fund touched. They Put pressure
on NASS to review. Executive then suggested they fund it 50:50. Half from
poverty fund, balance should be funded by slashing the budget of all ministries
pro rata.
“So when you
go through the National Assembly order paper you will see the source of funding
exactly like that. I, therefore, do not see why anyone will now try to put all
the blame at the feet of NASS.”
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