Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
Onwuka Nzeshi
As the executive and legislature continue to trade words over the oil price benchmark, Senator Buka Abba- Ibrahim, at the weekend, said the 2013 budget may trigger a higher degree of insecurity in the North-east geo-political zone where Boko Haram’s insurgency has made life unbearable for residents for almost two years.
Abba-Ibraim, who is also a former governor of Yobe State, alleged that while other geo-political zones have as much as N79 billion or N80 billion allocated to them in the 2013 budget recently presented to the National Assembly, by President Goodluck Jonathan the North-east geo-political zone had only N50 billion, a difference of about N30 billion.
He said the apparent lopsided allocation of resources was unfair, saying it amounts to injustice, warning that the country may face worse crisis than the one currently being formented by Boko Haram if the perceived injustice is not addressed.
“Look, injustice is the basis of all crisis in the world. All insecurity comes from injustice. If injustice continues, there will never be peace. Boko Haram is a product of poverty; it’s a product of unhappiness. We are unhappy with Nigeria, unless something is done to address it, Nigeria should expect bigger Boko Haram insurgency, Insha Allah,” he said.
Meanwhile, the member representing Eket/Esit-Eket/Ibeno/Onna federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Bassey Dan-Abia, has charged Jonathan to ensure that a proper machinery was put in place for the implementation of the 2013 budget as soon as it is passed by the parliament.
Dan-Abia also charged the parliament to wake up in its responsibility of oversight and ensure that the budget implementation is not left to the whims and caprices of the Ministries Departments and Agencies ( MDAs).
“The President must prove his critics wrong by displaying an uncommon political will to implement whatever the parliament might pass as the national budget at the end of the day. This he should do in the interest of the common man,”he said.