Encomium
– ‘We have not been feeling the impact’, they chorus
On Tuesday, November 7, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari presented 8.6 trillion budget for 2018 fiscal year. And it has remained an item of public discourse. However, some Nigerians encomium.ng sought their views on the budget described it as bogus and unrealistic. They insisted on well being of the common man, not the figure involved in the budget.
‘The budget is too bogus’ – EMMANUEL NNANAI
“To me, the budget is too bogus. It’s not realistic. Where are we going to get that amount projected when the crude oil is pegged at 45 US dollars? Even at that, we’re yet to see anything tangible from the 2017 budget. And the year is just some weeks to pack up. I am not sure if any capital project has ever been completed this year. Up till now, they’re still working on Lagos-Ibadan express road. So, the government needs to work more on implementation aspect, not just rolling out the figures every year. Nigerians are not interested in that anymore.”
“I am less bothered by that’ – ABUBAKAR AZEEZ
“I didn’t even know when Buhari read the budget because I am not interested in anything like that. It has not been affecting people like me positively. So, why will I be wasting my time thinking about that? They will only be mentioning large figures every year it has always been trillions but nothing to show for.”
‘What’s important is full implementation, not just the presentation’ – GIDEON SALAS
“We have heard Buhari and we believe him, but let everything be implemented to the letter. It’s then Nigerians will take his administration serious. To me, I am confused because the amount seems too large to come by if truly is going to be a non-oil projection thing as said by the president. But let’s wait and see. No matter the amount, the well being of Nigerian poor masses is what’s important and that should be taken very seriously by Buhari because this is the only chance he has to prove himself.”
‘What’s important to me as a Nigerian is good governance’ – ADEKUNLE LAWAL
“If Buhari likes, let him present 10 trillion naira budget before the National Assembly, and they also like, let them approve it. What’s important to me is good governance. I don’t want to know the amount involved and how it will be generated. If you look at it, this trillion of a thing started from Olusegun Obasanjo adminstration. It got worse during Jonathan’s. Now it’s getting over the roof. We’re only hearing of trillions every day, nothing to show for. That’s why many Nigerians didn’t even notice the time Buhari read the budget. None of the capital projects has been commissioned and that’s where the large sum of the revenue was allocated to. So, Nigerians are waiting for the passage of the budget by the National Assembly so that we can move forward in 2018 without any delay.”
‘I don’t see us achieving anything from the budget’ – OKEKE WILSON
“We don’t need to be deceiving ourselves on the 2018 budget read by President Buhari. There’s nothing to celebrate about it. What’s important to us as Nigerians are its passage and implementation. And getting the projected revenue may be difficult unless oil price remains stable at least till the third quarter of 2018. So, there’s still more to be done.”
‘There’s nothing special in the budget’ – UZOR EZEKIEL
“It’s business as usual. There can’t be anything beneficial from the budget, especially to the poor. Even, listening to the presentation only heightens tension in many Nigerians. That’s why many Nigerians were not aware of the time it was read. Nigerians are not really bothered about any budget again because they have not been feeling it. At the end of it all, less than half of it will be executed and before 2018 runs out, the president will still be sending a supplementary budget to the National Assembly even if we record excess from crude oil which is even expected as the current price is about 60 US dollar and the budget estimate is premised on 45 US dollar per barrel. And it’s expected that the prices won’t come down because there’s stability in the market and that may continue for months. So, Nigeria stands the chance of making more money from crude oil in 2018. What Nigerians want from the present administration is beyond reading out the budget, but full implementation.”
‘It’ a huge budget’ – WAHEED ADISA
‘The budget is just too huge, maybe for them to have enough money for electioneering campaign that will start next year. To me, we don’t need that much to turn Nigeria around. Anyway, let’s see what will happen. All we deserve from the budget is beneficial capital projects that will be completed within the year, not those that will spill over to 2019.”
‘I don’t believe in Buhari’s budget anymore’ – ISAAC OGIRIMA
“Whatever Buhari likes, let him present as the budget for 2018, I am not really bothered. Nigerians are suffering, and we’re yet to come out of recession. Recently, the government proposed for about 5.6 bn dollar loan. What really do we need the money for? We only hear of the huge figure, we don’t really benefit from it. Nigerians don’t care if the budget is 20 trillion naira, what matters is its impact on them. Left to me, I don’t really believe in any budget by this administration again. Before you know it, you will be hearing of padding or no padding. And that will waste almost half of the year debating on nonsense. So, let’s no hear about the amount in the budget but what it will do in the lives of average Nigerians.”
TADE ASIFAT for encomium.ng
