By Bello Galadi,
RICE PALLIATIVES
1. Good day Mr. President. I hope you are having a pleasant week.
2. Mr. President Sir, few weeks ago, you directed the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to release food items worth N57.8 Billion to the 469 members of the National Assembly, comprising 109 Senators and 360 Members of the House of Representatives, for onward distribution as palliatives to their constituents in form of constituency projects.
3. Each Senator was allocated N200, 000, 000.00 (two hundred million naira only) worth of food items, while each Member of the House of Representatives was allocated N100, 000, 000.00 (one hundred million naira only) worth of food items.
4. In the recent past, you doled out seven (7) palliative packages for the benefit of Nigerians, primarily, to cushion the effect of the removal of petroleum subsidy, to wit: 50% slash on bus transportation during the yuletide season; free train services during the yuletide season; N35, 000.00 provisional wage award for federal civil servants for two (2) months; N185bn shared to 36 States and FCT; zero customs duty and VAT on CNG Conversion Kits imports; rice distribution to State Governors for sharing in the States and N25, 000.00 Conditional Cash Transfer to vulnerable Nigerians.
5. I commend your efforts for the palliative packages. However, I am constraint to notify you that your efforts have not addressed the suffering of the masses, which was triggered by your twin policies of petroleum subsidy removal and currency floating.
6. The N57.8bn should have been channeled towards the provision of security to farmers in their homes and in their farms, provision of adequate fertilizer and other farm inputs for distribution to farmers at subsidized prices, provision of agricultural chemicals at affordable prices, set agenda for the revival of industries, dredge our dams for dry season farming, provide farmers with quality and hybrid seeds and establish Mechanization Centers in the 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria.
7. Agriculture provides for about 75% of employment due to its employment chain. It is a source of employment generation and has a multiplier effect on the socio-economy of the country. With good agricultural policy, the sector can feed the nation, generate employment, provide adequate raw materials for our industries and earn foreign exchange.
8. You should also consider opening all land borders in Nigeria, so that rice and other consumables can legitimately be imported into the country from any border without any hindrance.
9. Your Excellency, on the issue of palliatives, my interest is on the need to ensure that the food items get to the targeted people- house-to-house distribution. On this note, I humbly suggest that you set up Distribution Monitoring Committees across the 36 States of the Federation and FCT to ensure judicious distribution of the food items to the targets. The Committees should comprise officials from the state governments, religious and traditional leaders, law enforcement agencies, NGOs, media and professionals.
10. You need to emphasize on the need for the members to emulate Hon. Dekere Anamero, Member representing Etsako Federal Constituency. He flagged- off the distribution of the items at a well-attended ceremony at his Constituency Office. He delivered to his constituent four (4) trucks containing 2, 400 bags of rice. Bravo Hon. Dekere!
11. Mr. President Sir, my other concern is the legality of the project. I am afraid the expenditure was not captured in the 2024 budget. You need to address this.
12. Another concern is the feasibility of the project. I am afraid the Ministry of Agriculture may not have the stock and the funds available at the moment.
13. Going by Hon. Dekere’s formula, the Ministry of Agriculture is going to part with 1, 387,200 bags of rice for the 469 lawmakers (4 trucks for House of Representatives Members and 8 trucks for Senators). How is it going to source the commodity?
14. If the Ministry decides to buy the rice from the market, it will cost the government the total sum of N83, 232, 000, 000.00 (eighty three billion two hundred and thirty two million naira only) because a bag of rice is N60, 000.00 (sixty thousand naira only) in the open market at the moment. Mapping rice from the market will shoot up the price and make the commodity scarce. You need to strategize and circumvent this possibility.
15. For the sake of transparency, you need to direct the Ministry of Agriculture to release daily updates on the disbursement of the items for the consumption of the general public. The names of the members and their consignments should be publicized on daily basis.
16. You equally need to advice the general public to mount pressure on their Representatives to provide them with updates on the project.
17. Some Members mulled the idea of refund. You need to direct the Ministry of Agriculture not to consider any request for refund from any Member.
18. Mr. President Sir, the reality is that Nigerians are more interested in food security than palliatives. We want permanent solutions not temporary relief.
19. I therefore appeal to you, to explore permanent solutions to our challenges, i.e. hunger, inflation, insecurity and high cost of living.
CUTTING COST
1. On Tuesday 9th January, 2024, you ordered the reduction of officials on government trips. As far as I am concerned, this is your best policy since your assumption of office as the President of Nigeria. I was so elated when I came across the news.
2. By this government policy, travel expenditure of all government officials, including the Presidency, was slashed by 60%. This is highly commendable, Mr. President.
3. Under this policy, the maximum number of officials to accompany the President on local trips is 25 and 20 for foreign engagements.
4. The maximum number of officials to accompany the Vice President on local trips is 15.
5. The maximum for the Vice President, First Lady and Wife of the Vice President on foreign trips is 5.
6. The maximum for the First Lady and Wife of the Vice President on local trips is 10.
7. The maximum for the Ministers and Heads of Federal Agencies on foreign trips is 4 and 2 respectively.
8. I am appealing to all the State Governors to replicate this policy in their states.
9. I am also appealing to the National Assembly, on behalf of all Nigerians, to promulgate an Act to give the policy legal flavor and national application.
10. To be candid with you Mr. President, I was highly devastated when I discovered that you led a 422- member delegation to the 28th UN Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirate, which held from 30th November to 12th December, 2023. The number was highly outrageous and unreasonable, when Super Powers attended with less than 20- man delegations.
11. Nigeria, in spite of its huge debt burden, sponsored 422 officials, including 27 Ministers, 15 Chief Executives of government agencies, 95 Directors from different Ministries and agencies, ad ifinitum.
12. The Federal Government expended about N2.78bn on estacodes and airfares for the Conference. It was a reckless spending, to say the least.
13. Your Excellency, you are simply a trustee to our commonwealth, as such, you need to always exercise your discretion judicially and judiciously in managing our scarce resources.
14. Please accept the assurances of my sincere goodwill.
Galadi is a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gusau Branch (covering Zamfara State). He is the President of Bello Galadi Foundation.
He can be reached on:
Muhammadbel_law@yahoo.com and muhammadbellaw80@gmail.com and twitter handle:@bello_galadi1
10th January, 2024
