2019 elections and capital budget implementation

The date for 2019 general elections has been announced by the INEC. Next on the mind of every Nigerian politician, especially the incumbent public officeholders, is not how many projects they can complete between now and then, but how much money they can gather within the period to surmount every opposition. And those ones in their last term of office will be focused on how much money they could go with at the expense of capital and development projects. The concern is that a sizeable chunk of the capital budget allocations for the next two years is likely going to bear the brunt. And this concern cuts across all tiers of government. Little wonder that the issue of unclear, inappropriate, frivolous and wasteful expenditure in our annual budgets continues to be there. As these line items have no deliverable by which they can be measured by design, it becomes an avenue to serve the purpose of amassing funds to fund electioneering campaigns and reelection.

Nigerians must demand their rights to put an end to this. Demand for accountability and transparency in all government transactions. Too much emphasis on money politics should be reduced by amending some necessary parts of our Electoral Act and other laws. Undue pressure on political office holders to make donations or provide certain goods and services should be stopped. By so doing, we reduce the undue pressure on them and not to compound the problems by adding to their flamboyant lifestyles which pressure to maintain push them to do the wrong things. With these done, the citizens can properly demand their right to inclusive governance. It is time to intensify the efforts being put in place by the civil society organisation to monitor and raise questions where necessary on the entire capital budget implementation beginning with the current 2017 budget at all levels of government to see that the capital budget allocations are not used to fund 2019 electioneering campaigns by politicians. The decision to move forward from the present state of things will be the difference maker in the forthcoming elections. Your vote is your birthright, do not sell it for it is the only way to ensure that leader and not rulers get voted into power. Nigeria must be better! Omale Omachi, Abuja.