Halting wasteful expenditures with public funds

In another bid to halt wastages in government, the federal government recently banned the procurement and distribution of conference bags, T-shirts and other souvenirs at official events and activities such as workshops, conferences, and seminars organized and funded by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The ban similarly extends to books and other publications from […]

In another bid to halt wastages in government, the federal government recently banned the procurement and distribution of conference bags, T-shirts and other souvenirs at official events and activities such as workshops, conferences, and seminars organized and funded by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The ban similarly extends to books and other publications from which no benefit will accrue to the public institution involved or the Nigerian public.
This new measure, which is commendable, was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari following recommendations by the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance. A statement from the Minister of Finance which was signed by the Director of Information, Salisu Na’inna Danbatta said the ban was in recognition of the need to stop unnecessary expenditure on overheads. The directive also contained specific guidelines that would reduce the cost of printing invitation cards, programme of events, brochures, folders and note pads. The guidelines stipulate that such printed items should be in black and white and limited to only one page. Brochures are henceforth to be streamlined to contain only essential information.
This ban is, indeed, long over-due. Wasteful spending sadly developed over the years to become an ‘acceptable’ culture in Nigeria. In fact, many now believe that events should not be described as successful if they are not characterized by wasteful expenditure. This could be in the form of using the most expensive materials to print invitation cards and programme of events which usefulness expires on the day the occasion holds. Even when Nigeria was economically buoyant and stable, it was an aberration to waste resources. It is therefore more unreasonable to do so now that the country’s economy is in recession coupled with huge national infrastructural deficit.
A calendar, no matter how beautiful or expensive, expires on the 31st day of December of a particular year. The practice in the past by MDAs of printing calendars could be forgiven to some extent because of its guide to users on dates. Administrators in MDAs and other government institutions use calendars to annually work out a comprehensive and all-inclusive work-plan for their respective organizations, whether in the agricultural, educational or health sector. However the advent of information and communication technology has turned calendars in to decorative materials hanged on office walls. Today, wrist watches, mobile handsets, tablets, pads, laptops, and desktops all carry calendars including old and new ones.
The federal government is encouraged to extend the ban on calendars to other wasteful expenditures existing in the civil service. This may include congratulatory messages placed in newspapers by government agencies to felicitate with their chief executives on the occasion of their birthday celebrations or wedding anniversaries or on their conferment with chieftaincy titles. Such adverts are also placed to commiserate with chief executives over the death of their family member(s). Many of these messages are what Nigerians call ‘eye service’.
Now, advertisements are placed in newspapers when public office holders who are  chief executives are retiring from service. People, of course, are free to congratulate or commiserate with their retiring colleagues. However, that should strictly be a personal matter at personal cost and not at the expense of government. Due to poor sense of responsibility and accountability, most public office holders in Nigeria treat public funds as if such were their personal property over which they could exercise unlimited right and control.
One hypocritical phenomenon which the federal government must also ban is the practice by which departments and agencies pretend to be what they are not as some of them believe that the only time their office buildings, access roads and other infrastructural facilities should receive maintenance is each time the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or a minister or governor is paying an official visit to their organization. That is when office buildings that have not been painted for decades will be visited by the painter’s brush. In 1984, the then military Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari banned the placement of congratulatory messages by MDAs and private institutions from placing congratulatory messages in the electronic and print media either before or after his nation-wide state visit. It was also an offence under the military Muhammadu Buhari to incur expenditure in whatever form at whatever cost for the sake of a state visit by the Head of State. It is time again, after three decades, for the civilian Muhammadu Buhari as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ban this hypocrisy by which public funds are misappropriated to give a visiting president, minister, governor or commissioner the impression that all is well when it is actually not.
The support declared in this piece for the ban placed on the printing of calendars and souvenirs may not go down well with individuals and corporate organizations whose businesses are tied to printing and advertising. The policy, when sincerely examined, is not intended to frustrate or kill such businesses. It is borne out of the spirit of good governance in the face of current economic realities. After all, private establishments that can afford the wastes in the name Public Relation (PR) is at liberty to do so.
Like the federal government, all states in the federation are encouraged to ban all forms of wasteful expenditures usually incurred in the name of PR or to score cheap political goals. May Allah (SWT) give our leaders at all levels the wisdom, courage and sincerity of purposee to pursue the policies that are in the best interest of Nigerians, amin.