National Assembly Complex Renovation: A Misplaced Of Priority -By Oluwasanmi Femi

The earmarked 37 billion Naira for the renovation of the National Assembly complex is a misplaced of priority and a daylight robbery of National wealth, especially, putting into consideration the huge number of Nigerians crying for a better life and other critical issues begging for financial attention.

Based on the explanation of the Senate president, Senator Ahmed Lawal on 16th December, 2019, the 37 billions as stated in the 2020 Appropriation Act is designed to take care of the already dilapidated complex which has suffered a major renovation since 1999.

This amount according to Senator Godiya Akwashiki on 31st December, 2019 was earmarked by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and not the lawmakers. However, whether “the hands is the hand of Esua or the voice is the voice of Jacob”, the fact remains that, the renovation is not justifiable looking at the number of critical sectors begging for financial attention.

Just few months ago, the minister of work and housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) while lamenting the paucity of fund in the ministry stated that the amount of money the federal government is owning contractors working on her roads is 306 billions. Though, this seems to be small but it goes along way in doing a thorough job.

This is not talk of other ministries dying in silence because of lack of funds. In 2017 for instance, the wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari was moved by the deteriorating state of the public hospital to the extent that she berated the Clinic at the Aso Rock publicly when she discovered that the X-ray machine there was not working.

Most of the senators who approved 37 billions for the renovation of a complex cannot denied the bad status of the medical facilities in the country. That is the reason most of them preferred to go abroad for medical treatment.

This includes the president who assented the bill without complain. President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017, spent over 90 days in London, where he received treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

The same narrative could be said of the education system. In 2019, there was jubilation every where when one of the daughters of the president graduated from a University abroad. Similar story is told of the children of some the prominent personalities both in APC and the opposition camps.

Though, there is nothing wrong in sending children abroad for study or treament, but it becomes abnormal when the money that ought to help ameliorate people’s suffering or improve the standard of education are diverted to an avoidable expenses.

As it is today, the renovation of the national assembly complex is an avoidable expenses. It is not as urgent as the rotten in the education system, medical sector, transportation system among other.

Most road networks across the country are daily becoming a death trap due to lack of fund. While the level of unemployment continues to accelerate at an unprecedented speed including the under-employed people. No wonder, the country was named by the World Poverty Clock as the world poverty capital in 2018.

This is not to talk of 13.5 million of out of school children and 9.5 million of the Almajeris roaming the street based on the data released by the UNICEF in 2014.

Despite all these, those who claimed to be the representative of the people in the hallow chamber still find it worthy to approved such humongous amount in the name of renovation.

In an ideal society where people are well represented, such amount putting into consideration the numbers of projects begging for financial attention would not have even surface at all not to talk of becoming a public discourse because they will be sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the people.

Being sensitive to people’s aspirations is not by paying lip service to things or making promises that seems to make heaven on Earth. But, by making sure that both actions and inactions of the government response to the aspirations of the citizens.

So, the proposed renovation of the national Assembly complex with 37 billions Naira at this time when the country is passing through trying time in her history seems to negate the mantra of next level Nigerians are thirsting for especially, considering the numbers of sectors begging for financial attention.

For instance, the 37 billions naira can be used to empower 37000 people to start up a business with a capital of hundred thousand naira each if pumped to small medium scheme (SME).

And if the government wants to intensify it’s effort in the Agricultural sector, the money can help boost the productivity of not less than 10, 000 farmers in each state of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Not to talk of numbers of lecture rooms, it can build in the federal universities across the federation if a maximum of 1 billon naira is given to the university management as a support fund.

Putting into consideration all these peculiarities, there is no other words to describe the proposed 37 billions naira but ‘putting a cart before the horse’ which could only be interpreted as a compensation for a job done or about to be done, especially with the rumor of “third term agenda” spreading around the political sphere.