Sir: In a country of starving citizens, one would expect that renovating properties that are otherwise in good condition, or changing vehicles that are still usable, would be the last thing on the mind of the government. However, for the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it appears that the mundane takes priority over the masses. N13.5 billion is what has been allocated for the renovation.
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In a country of avaricious politicians, lying bureaucrats and cooked books, how much of this money will be used for their stated purposes? In a country of starving children, it is immoral that such impossibly outrageous amounts of money are allocated for actions that are a little more than luxurious.

Nigeria has in place wastage as an unofficial policy. Successive administrations at the federal, state, and local government levels have conspired to ensure that Nigeria has washed billions of dollars down the drain. This is so even when one considers the difficulty of collating and presenting credible data in Nigeria. This is even without paying attention to the monstrous effects of corruption on the national treasury and public life.

The budget hastily and scandalously passed by the National Assembly mirrors perfectly what the governance has become in Nigeria today: An inordinate spending spree. It is not just the N1.5 billion approved for vehicles for the office of the First Lady, a position which is unknown to the constitution, it is the billions appointed for what has become a ritual of annual renovations.

In a country where a scandalous housing crisis continues to lead to a hemorrhage of human dignity, it should be inconceivable that these are the things the government is giving priority. But it is an indication of just how deeply Nigeria has sunk that a new government is prioritising wasteful spending above genuine actions that can provide respite for a handful of long-suffering Nigerian families.

While there is no doubt that without maintenance, a house, any house, would fall into disrepair after a while, Nigerians loath renovations without reforms. In a country ridden with corruption, past efforts at renovation have often run into the muck of graft and sleaze.

For a new government, invention should count and come in handy. There should be a frantic effort made to depart from the ways of previous governments, especially when those ways were shown to have led the country down the road of perdition.

It makes eminent sense that in the face of soaring poverty and surging unemployment, those in government should check their spending. What is clear is that Nigeria cannot continue with thieving and wasteful politicians who are hell-bent on destroying all that the country has worked hard for.

It also remains glaringly true that unless Nigeria curbs waste and cuts loose the swarm of locusts masquerading as public officers, it may soon be reduced to nothing.
Ike Willie-Nwobu ([email protected])
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