OPINION
Barr.
Eyo Ekpo, a former Special Adviser, Special Duties in the Sen. Liyel Imoke's
government has taken a rough ride over the 2018 budget of Governor Ben Ayade's christened
budget of kinetic crystallization.
The
Gubernatorial hopeful who recently decamped to SDP said the budget is a
delusion wondering, how the present administration will caterpult its
budget from about 3billion naira in 2017 to over a trillion naira in 2018 and
the state house of assembly approved it without conducting the mandatory performance review of the previous
year's budget.
Barr. Eyo who also served Donald Duke as Attorney General
and Commissioner for Justice went on to slam Ayade for breaking down
into tears over an ambitious and vague N1.3 trillion "Budget of Kinetic
Crystallization" and then handing over the signed document to a member of
the clergy to invoke Divine abracadabra is a reprehensible drama to hoodwink
the easily swayed and weak minded.
The
Calabar born Politician made this known through a statement signed by his media
aide and made available to TDN.
The
statement reads in full:
Ayade's budget
of kinetic delusion
Governor
Ben Ayade of Cross River State betrayed his emotions and shed passionate tears
as he signed into law the state's 2018 budget, weighing in at a hefty N1.3
trillion. The colossal fiscal outlay for the year 2018 more than triples the
budget provisions for the previous year which stood at much smaller N301
billion. For comparison, Lagos State posted a slightly smaller budget for 2018
with N1.046 trillion; up from the previous year's N821 billion. But, that's
Lagos now, isn't it?
When
compared, Lagos State, a stalwart of the Nigerian Federation and a powerhouse
of the economy routinely break records when making budgetary provisions for its
territory. A "budget of progress and development" presented by that
State's governor for 2018 clocked in at N1.046 trillion. And in accordance with
global statutory standards that are regrettably but usually despised in these
climes – the kernels of such documents were available for public and legislative
scrutiny before being signed into law.
Basically,
it is a readily available critique of the present income-expenditure argument
on the State while taking considerations with recommendations from the past
against the future. Remarking on the passage of the budget, Governor Ben Ayade
said. "This is the first trillion naira budget by a State Government in
the annals of Nigerian history, and therefore it is unique and ambitious and
intended to decouple the state from dependence on the Federation Account."
"The
philosophy behind the budget is the spirit of 'we can do it' and creates a new
vista, thinking, and horizon that would take us out of the woods. It is high
time we put an end to the civil service status mentality we have found
ourselves by thinking outside the box."
"This
is epochal in the history of the state and the nation as it is the first to
pass the N1 trillion mark in the nation among the states," he also noted.
The
gargantuan budget, dubbed "Budget of Kinetic Crystallization" was
described by the governor as being meant to crystallize what the state had
achieved in the past two years of his administration.
He
also indicated that the size of the budget was expected to create room for
potential investors in the state's (or his) signature projects, namely the
superhighway and deep sea port projects.
Amidst
tears and ink, the flamboyant professor governor strongly enjoined the
government, stakeholders, and Cross Riverians to commit themselves to fervent
prayers in order to fully realize and effectively implement the record-breaking
budget.
But
breaking down in tears over an ambitious and vague N1.3 trillion "Budget
of Kinetic Crystallization" and then handing over the signed document to a
member of the clergy to invoke Divine abracadabra is a reprehensible drama to
hoodwink the easily swayed and weak minded.
The
value of those tears and the economy-class emotions on a show for those of
paler constitutions would perhaps be of more substance if the administration
had taken the trouble to properly elucidate on the contents of such a contentious
fiscal misadventure and how it managed to get approval. It doesn't require
genius-level intellect to know that one should not spend beyond one's
income.
How
does the administration justify the outrageous jump in the budget from N301
billion in 2017 to N1.3 trillion in 2018? How does the government of Cross
River State – still reeling from a critical dent in revenue after forfeiting
most of its crude oil production to neighbouring Akwa Ibom State
following the resolution of a lengthy border dispute – plan to finance this
bizarre fiscal instrument with its meager internally generated revenue
(IGR) (N13.56 billion in 2015, N13.54 billion in 2016, N14.77 billion in 2017)
and a Federal allocation of about N68 billion in 2017?
And
by which clergy shall the state be absolved of its staggering external debt
of $115 million (Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimate, fourth
highest among states in Nigeria)?
Predictably,
reactions trailing the signing of the budget have been overwhelmingly negative,
with the chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Pastor Sunday
Michael saying: "We hereby advise the Cross River State
Governor, Senator Ben Ayade to withdraw his unrealistic, childish and
fraudulent Kinetic Crystallization Budget of N1.3 trillion." Pastor
Sunday Michael also accused the State House of Assembly of colluding with the
governor in presenting the record budget without first conducting the mandatory
performance review of the previous year's budget.
We
now have a situation where the legislature, which is supposed to act as a
balance against executive rascality, is now enabling a reckless governor to
play on the intelligence of Cross Riverians.
Enough
is enough. The budget of any individual, organization, national or sub-national
entity is a serious document that shows what the priorities of that entity are.
Based on that, the 2018 budget of Cross River is a joke that is no longer
funny. This used to be a state noted for its responsible government, but has
now become the plaything of the governor and his brother, and the icing on the
cake is this ridiculous budget.
The
only way to reward Ben Ayade is to send him into political retirement in March
2019.
It
is urgent for Cross Riverians to stand up and prevent the state from going
further into ruin. Another four years of this kinetic delusion will be too much
for this state to bear.
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