FG Declares Current Recurrent Expenditure Level Unsustainable
- By Simeon Ogoegbulem
- Published April 11th, 2011
- News
- Unrated
The federal government has declared that the level of current recurrent expenditure public service is unsustainable. This is even as the Committee on the review of Government Expenditure canvassed for drastic restructuring of the government apparatus is Nigeria intends to make any progress. Olusegun Aganga, minister of finance, declared in Abuja last week that government is “determined to change and break away from the past because “there is no way we can develop this country if we cannot discipline ourselves.” Aganga, who spoke while receiving the report of the committee headed by Professor Anya O Anya, stressed the need for a solid foundation in order to guarantee fiscal discipline in government business. He assured that the government will “straighten the fiscal focus and make sure that our resources are properly spent in the right direction and will block all revenue leakages and maximize revenue.” He maintained that all arms of government “must work together to get to where we want to.”
Earlier, Anya, while submitting the report, canvassed for restructuring of government apparatus in order to ensure fiscal prudence and effective management of the country’s resources. Specifically, the committee recommended that some parts of the constitution should be amended to reflect the reality on ground. He pointed at the section of the constitution that demands that every state and geo-political zone present a ministerial candidate in the government. He lamented that “the constitution stipulates that there will be a minister from each state and another from the six geopolitical zones making 42 ministers.”
Anya wondered why “United States whose economy is $13 trillion has less than 20 ministers and our economy which is $0.3 trillion we have a whole series of bureaucracies, ministries, parastatals and the whole lot of them.” According to him, if Nigerians want the ministries, departments and agencies “to operate properly and be funded properly from our budget which is our earning, they will not be able to service them properly”.
He noted that “the faithful implementation of the recommendations of this committee and that of previous committees highlighted in this report would mark a significant and historical watershed in the responsible, responsive and prudent management of fiscal resources in this nation and hence the redirection of the goals of development.”
Earlier, Anya, while submitting the report, canvassed for restructuring of government apparatus in order to ensure fiscal prudence and effective management of the country’s resources. Specifically, the committee recommended that some parts of the constitution should be amended to reflect the reality on ground. He pointed at the section of the constitution that demands that every state and geo-political zone present a ministerial candidate in the government. He lamented that “the constitution stipulates that there will be a minister from each state and another from the six geopolitical zones making 42 ministers.”
Anya wondered why “United States whose economy is $13 trillion has less than 20 ministers and our economy which is $0.3 trillion we have a whole series of bureaucracies, ministries, parastatals and the whole lot of them.” According to him, if Nigerians want the ministries, departments and agencies “to operate properly and be funded properly from our budget which is our earning, they will not be able to service them properly”.
He noted that “the faithful implementation of the recommendations of this committee and that of previous committees highlighted in this report would mark a significant and historical watershed in the responsible, responsive and prudent management of fiscal resources in this nation and hence the redirection of the goals of development.”
