News
How Jonathan Stopped First-class Travel Among Ministers In 2012– Ex-minister
Former Minister for Youth Development and Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, has disclosed that former President Goodluck Jonathan restricted each of his ministers to the use of only two cars during the fuel subsidy removal crisis in 2012.
He stated that Jonathan also stopped members of his cabinet from travelling in first class with a view to providing more funds for other relevant government activities.
According to him, though some ministers didn’t comply with his directive, the ex-president told them to reflect on the sufferings Nigerians were going through by reducing the cost of governance.
The former minister spoke on the heels of the N27.5tn budget estimates for the 2024 fiscal year tagged the ‘Budget of Hope’ presented by President Bola Tinubu and currently being scrutinised by the National Assembly.
There have been mixed reactions from the public and the joint National Assembly Committees on the huge amount allocated to some items of ministries and agencies of the government in the proposed budget.
The Committee on Trade and Industry had frowned on the allocation of N1bn for a foreign trip to Geneva, Switzerland, by the Ministry of Trade and Investment.
The lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, at the defence of the 2024 budget of the ministry, cautioned against travelling with over-bloated teams, thereby increasing the cost of governance.
The State House had also earmarked N9.5bn for the purchase of tyres for bulletproof vehicles, Sport Utility Vehicles, operational vehicles, plain cars, and the construction of an office complex for Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants.
Earlier, the sum of N160bn was appropriated to purchase SUVs for lawmakers of the National Assembly.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the former minister expressed the need to reduce the cost of governance.
He said Nigerians would have hailed the National Assembly if they had reflected on the sufferings of the people by using part of the funds on constituencies and purchasing Nigerian cars.
He said, “I remember in January 2012, during the issue of the fuel subsidy. That was the first time the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, wanted to take the issue of fuel subsidy head-on. I remember at one of the meetings, former President Jonathan told us that as ministers, we could no longer travel first class.
“He also said we could no longer move around with sirens and we could only go out with our car and one other backup car. He said we needed to reflect sensitivity to the feelings of the people. Some people complied and some others didn’t comply, but the principle was very clear, and we also tried to adjust.
“I tried to imagine a National Assembly where a decision is taken that, given the situation of the country, they (National Assembly) are going to buy from Nigeria cars like Innoson Motors and they can use some part of the money for their constituency. I can’t imagine how Nigerians would hail them if that kind of decision were taken.”
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Sector Command, has confirmed the death of a woman in an accident at Okpoko Market on the Asaba-Onitsha Road.
The Sector Commander, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, who confirmed the accident to journalists in Awka on Thursday, said that the woman was hit while she was crossing the road.
He said that the accident, which occurred on Wednesday, involved a commercial tow truck with registration number XA550BMA.
“Eyewitness report reaching us indicates that the truck was towing a vehicle in an uncontrollable speed along the axis.
“The vehicle that was being towed got detached from the tow truck.
“It hit and killed a female adult, who was said to be crossing the road, while the tow truck continued its movement.
“FRSC rescue team came to the scene and took the woman to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, where she was confirmed dead and her body deposited at the hospital’s mortuary,” he said.
While sympathising with the family of the dead, the sector commander urged motorists, especially tow truck drivers, to exercise a high level of professionalism.
He also urged the drivers to always use standard equipment and avoid speeding.
The Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the state government’s maize palliative to members of the association made a positive impact on the sector.
Iyiola said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
“We received about 150,000 tons of maize in February from the Lagos State government as palliative to cushion the effect of high feed prices.
“The major benefit of the palliative is that it actually cushioned the cost of production for most poultry farmers in the state.
“The palliative was beneficial as it made the cost of some poultry produce, especially eggs to drop,” Iyiola said.
He noted that prior to the palliative, a crate of egg was sold between N3,500 and N3,700 at the farm gate, but after the palliative, it now sells between N3,200 and N3,400.
According to the PAN chair, retailers and middlemen who sell from N3,800 to N4,200 do that for their personal gain.
“We have urged our members to sell their eggs at reasonable prices following the receipt of the palliative from the government.
“We appreciate the Lagos State government for the palliative but we also urge the federal government to do likewise, to further reduce the cost of production in the sector.
“This will consequently lead to drop in the prices of all poultry produce across board,” he said.
He said the palliative was shared among financial members of the association at no extra cost.
“As an association we shared the grains equally across PAN’s eight zones in the state equally. We also mandated each zone not the sell even a grain of the maize.
“We, however, considered new poultry farmers who wanted to the join the association as beneficiaries of the palliative,” said Iyiola.
He noted that through the palliative, more poultry farmers were recruited into the association.
“The maize was shared only to poultry farmers and not feed millers, it is the major component of poultry feed formulation,” he said.
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