A non-profit interest group, the Young Progressives Nigerian Initiatives (YPNI) has appealed to the Federal Government (FG) to ensure that implementation of Nigeria’s 2017 Appropriation Act recently signed into law by the Ag. President, Professor ‘Yemi Osinbajo, is primly and sanctimoniously applied by Ministries and Departmental Agencies (MDAs).
The Group in a statement made available to news men on Tuesday in Lagos by its Convener/National Coordinator, Mr. Adekunle Osibogun also demanded for devolution of more powers to the 36 States, saying that “restructuring the socio-political and economic powers currently concentrated in the Federal Government will solve most of the economic and political quagmires currently militating against our development and existence.”
The Group said Nigeria, as currently structured politically and economically, breeds disunity, under-development, starvation, insecurity, bad governance and expansion of monopolistic tendencies against equilibrium distribution of wealth of the nation.
Some parts of the statement reads thus; “firstly, we wish to appeal to the Federal Government on behalf of the young men and women of Nigeria to ensure that the 2017 Budget recently signed into law by the amiable Ag. President, Professor ‘Yemi Osinbajo, is sanctimoniously implemented for the betterment of the citizens.
“We don’t want the impact of the 2017 Appropriation Act to be restricted to theoretical appraisals like it has always been; we want the 2017 Budget implemented with proper monitoring and supervisions of relevant MDAs by the National Assembly and vigilance of the law enforcement agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), to ensure that funds earmarked for infrastructural development are not diverted into private pockets.
“We also want to say without being immodest and hypocritical that it is time for Nigeria’s political and economic structures to be restructured to address our current challenges for the sake of our future and the generation yet unborn.
“Today, the unity of the country is fragile and the demand for secession by some people in South-Eastern Nigeria is gathering momentum largely because of poverty, religion and ethnic metamorphosis, fuels by faulty political and economic structures.
“A country that 53% of her total revenue is appropriated to the central government will surely suffer under-development in the States and Local Governments. Also, a country that still differentiates Federal State and Local trunk roads with little or no allocation for development and maintenance of State and Local trunk roads will continue to wallow in infrastructural deficiencies and under-development.
“A country that is using resources extracted from the east to develop the west or using the resources of the north to develop the south will continue to breed disunity and increased demand for secession by some of her people.
“Thus, after a careful examination and painstaking perusal of all the quagmires facing our political and economic development as a nation, it is our believe that the implementation of the resolutions of 2014 national conference and devolution of more powers to 36 States, and if possible, reverting to true federalism, will solve at least 70% of our problems and put an end to agitation for secession by a section of the country” the statement stressed.