Re: Drop the budget, talk about welfare
My attention was drawn to Mr. Tunde Asaju’s piece titled, “Drop the budget, talk about welfare”, on page 20 of the Daily Trust newspaper of Sunday January 8, 2017. The write-up, which focused on suggesting Sai Baba to pay phenomenal attention to the welfare of the masses, not budget presentation. Indeed, I was absolutely miffed […]
My attention was drawn to Mr. Tunde Asaju’s piece titled, “Drop the budget, talk about welfare”, on page 20 of the Daily Trust newspaper of Sunday January 8, 2017. The write-up, which focused on suggesting Sai Baba to pay phenomenal attention to the welfare of the masses, not budget presentation. Indeed, I was absolutely miffed by the write-up, which tends to portray Sai Baba-led government in bad light.
I think dropping the budget by Sai Baba as suggested by Mr. Asaju is tantamount to midnight walking in a grisly forest without lantern. In other words, putting the budget aside could be regarded as nihilist.
Besides, in my own humble perception, I sensed that the 2017 budget presented by Sai Baba christened, “The budget of recovery and growth” is fabulous one, in which the country will be able to convalesce from her amnesia and oblivion, caused by blind-as-a-bat squanderers and looters. It is disheartening that wailers have forgotten how Sai Baba rescued our 36 states from the crippling economic recession by offering bailouts (twice) as they were unable to pay their workers’ salaries.
In reality, the 2017 budget is riddled with phenomenal social welfare programmes for Nigerians. Among Sai Baba’s innumerable social welfare programmes includes employing one million youth under N-power programme as teachers and entrepreneurs, and school feeding programme to be benefitted by 5.5 million primary school pupils across the country.
There are also 1.6 million people including women, to be trained and supported as artisans, traders and entrepreneurs by the Bank of Industry’s enterprise promotion programme via receiving huge loans to boost their businesses. Undoubtedly, the commencement of paying N5000 monthly stipend to one million poorest and vulnerable is a preamble for curbing massive unemployment, extreme poverty and the severe economic situation bedeviling Naija.
Additionally, in this 2017 budget of recovery and growth, Sai Baba is determined to hit two birds down with one stone simultaneously. I mean, that sharp-witted president of the Aso Rock will continue to bail Naija out of the bedeviling economic recession, and strengthen her economy by making Naija a maximum exporter of almost everything.
Optimistically, thousands of unemployed youths will grab massive job recruitments in 2017, while others will certainly become first-rate farmers under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme very soon. Besides, ten dams will be constructed in each of our 36 states including the FCT this year by Sai Baba’s shrewd administration so as to boost irrigation farming and achieve the self-sufficiency in food production and food security policies across the country. This 2017 budget is designed to provide social welfare for Nigerians. For instance, the recent reduction of the import duties of 115 items by Sai Baba-led administration is the part of the government’s social welfare efforts.
Ultimately, we remain optimistic about the current administration since we have acknowledged the role it has played so far towards economic diversification, job creation and fighting against extremists.
Mustapha Baba Azare, Bauchi State