Stop Blaming Coronavirus For 2020 Budget Upheaval, Civil Society Group Cautions Buhari

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

The Executive Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman has cautioned the President Muahmadu Buhari led Federal Government to stop blaming the current upheaval being experienced in the implementation of the 2020 budget on the prevailing Coronal Virus upheaval.

Rather Sulaiman stated that what the government lacked was the competence to manage the nation’s economy in a sustainable manner.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the leadership of CHRSJ, Sulaiman accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) led governmet for its inability to pull the country out of its economic recession contrary to its claim of having done otherwise.

The group was responding to the claims of the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajia Zainab Ahmed who blamed the impact of the Corona Virus outbreak as the reason for the decision of government to review its 2020 national budget of N10.95 trillion.

According to the group the reason adduced was not genuine owing to the nature of the mono-economy system which the country operates, which it stated was seriously affecting the economy of the country presently.

He lampooned the present administration that promised to diversify the nation’s economy but five years down the line, Nigeria still relies on one product to put up its 2020 budget, saying, blaming the budget crisis on corona virus was a lame excuse nurtured by gross incompetence of the current administration.

Sulaiman stated that the manifest incompetence of the current government has brought about the growing mass poverty in the country as evident in the number of Nigerians wallowing in abject poverty.

To the group, the Muhammadu Buhari led government has not been doing anything meaningful on the need to broaden the nation’s economic base in a sustainable manner that would ensure that the people are productive engaged for meaningful economic endeavours.

He also faulted the claim of President Buhari as having lifted about 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, adding that no serious country like Nigeria would rely on mono-economy to lift her people out of poverty.

The rights activist advised the Federal Government to seriously and aggressively make use of agriculture as the next point of call to diversify the Nigeria economy before, adding that paying lip service to the issue of diversification of the economy would not take the country anywhere.

According to Sulaiman, “It is a shame that the government that promised to diversify economy through vigorous agricultural engagement is now complaining about the crash of the oil price in the World market. Over reliance on only oil product as catalyst for the nation economy is seriously affecting the growth and development of the country.”