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Analysts Says Nigerians Already Skeptical About 2010 Budget

   University  of  Abuja  professor Kabiru Mato says past federal budgets
   have failed to meet the expectation of Nigerians

   James Butty | Washington, D.C. 22 April 2010
   Acting  Nigerian  President Goodluck Jonathan speaks at the Council on
   Foreign Relations in Washington, 12 Apr 2010

Photo: AP

   Acting  Nigerian  President Goodluck Jonathan speaks at the Council on
   Foreign Relations in Washington, 12 Apr 2010

   A  Nigerian  political analyst said he hopes acting president Goodluck
   Jonathanâs  2010  budget would this time around address Nigeriaâs poor
   infrastructure concerns.

   Mr.  Jonathan signed into law Thursday a $31 billion budget that calls
   for  Nigeria's  government  to raise spending by about 50 percent from
   last year's level.

   University  of  Abuja  political  science  professor  Kabiru Mato said
   federal  budgets  in  the past couple of years have failed to meet the
   expectation of Nigerians.

   âI  think itâs really an aspiration of governments in Nigeria, but you
   see  the  tragedy  of  it all is that there seems to be already a high
   rate of skepticism among Nigerians because every year they vote such a
   large  sum  of  money  and say they are going to put infrastructure in
   place.  But  at  the  end  of  the  day the money is exhausted and the
   infrastructure  is  not in place. And that is why electricity is still
   an issue, roads are still an issue, the issue of public transportation
   is virtually nonexistent in Nigeria,â he said.

   Mato  said  both the executive and legislative branches of the federal
   government  will  have  to strengthen their monitoring capabilities if
   the  budget money for infrastructure development is to be used for the
   purposes intended.

   âIt  means  that  if  the  acting president is serious about what heâs
   saying then he has to, of course, strengthen the supervisory mechanism
   of government to ensure that the budget is strictly implemented. I lay
   the  blame fundamentally on the doorstep of the national assembly that
   has  the  constitutional  powers  to carry out oversight function over
   appropriated funds,â Mato said.

   The  2010 budget assumes Nigeria will pump 2.35 million barrels of oil
   a day, with each barrel selling for an average price of $67.
   Mato  said  it  is  possible  the  Nigerian  government can reach that
   production  goal  because  militant  attacks  on oil facilities in the
   Niger  Delta region have lessened recently as a result of government's
   offer of amnesty.

   âOil  production  in the Niger Delta in Nigeria in the last few months
   has  been  rather  steady.  The  amnesty  granted  by  President Umaru
   YarâAdua  is a fundamental factor there. It has addressed a lot of the
   issues  and  weâve had very few incidences of disruption or blowing up
   of  oil  pipelines.  And  the way the oil market is going, it suggests
   that  possibly  you  are  still  going  to  have some savings from the
   revenue that will accrue from oil,â he said.

   Some  Nigerians  have been commenting on the new budget in the context
   of the countryâs fight against corruption.

   Mato said government officials responsible handling money intended for
   Nigeriaâs infrastructure development will have to lead by example.

   âWhat  really  needs  to  be done in Nigeria is to build a very strong
   regulatory  framework  to ensure that government funds are deployed to
   the right area and there is value for money. Secondly also the problem
   of  corruption  I think lies with the inability of those at the top of
   societal  ladder to provide the exemplary leadership that is required.
   If  transparency is observed at the highest level of governance, it is
   automatically  going  to  transmit to every level of government,â Mato
   said.

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