A federal lawmaker from Rivers State, Farah Dagogo, has called on the Federal Government to discard its planned payout of $800 million to around 50 million Nigerians to provide a buffer for the projected Premium Motor Spirit subsidy elimination.
He said alternatively the cash should be put in important areas like education and health that would be helpful to the majority of Nigerians in the short, medium and long periods.
Dagogo who represents Dethe the Gema/Bonny (Rivers State) federal constituency in the green chamber of the National Assembly revealed this in a statement made in Port Harcourt on Friday morning.
The statement which was signed by Dagogo’s media assistant, Ibrahim Lawal, said that despite the proposal by the Federal Government wasbeingngll intended, he questioned that if it held sway, the transparency of the projected financial transfers to poor Nigerians couldn’t be ensured.
It was reported that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, during the week said the FG had secured the sum of $800 million from the World Bank, as part of its post-subsidy palliative plans that would be distributed to 10 million households, which according to her was equivalent to about 50 million Nigerians.
However Dagogo, as part of his Easter Message, criticized aspects of the minister’s statement notably the assumption that the nation already has a National Social Register for 10 million needy families through which the $800 million would be dispersed.
The federal lawmaker explained that as Nigerians joined the rest of the world to celebrate Easter, the underlying importance of the period which centres on sacrifices by Jesus Christ, ‘should be replicated by ensuring that the workability of the set aside $800 million from the World Bank was adhered to and reflected with transparency and honesty.
The statement partially says, “As Nigerians are surrendering their fuel subsidy advantages, it should be for a general betterment in the educational and health sectors not some phantom list of name compilations already laden with dishonesty.
“Easter is a moment when we Christians spend our time focusing on the role of Jesus Christ in our lives and pledge to pursue the road of moral renewal.
“This moment of grace is even more philosophical because was preceded by the Lenten Season which itself is a sacred period for us Christians.
“It is then important that the Nigerian Government likewise adopts lessons and connects them to relations with its population pa, particularly with the first $800 million gasoline subsidy withdrawal palliative.
“I consider it dishonest on the part of the Federal Government to state Nigeria has a Social Register for 10 million disadvantaged families, which they interpreted to be 50 million People.
“Just as I am finding it tough getting my head around it, so too are the majority of Nigerians confused. Nigerians, especially its government, should guarantee that the workability of the $800 million from the World Bank is adhered to and portrayed with openness and honesty.
“As Nigerians are surrendering their fuel subsidy advantages, it should be for a broad betterment in the educational and health sectors not some phantom list of names compiled which is already laden with deceit.”
He asked individuals holding public posts to be more transparent, and interact better with fellow countrymen since they bear such obligations in trust, stating, “Let us be our brother’s keepers’.
