Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organization, has lamented the hardships Nigerians are experiencing as a result of the Federal Government’s elimination of the fuel subsidy and said that the government should lessen the suffering.
The organization also urged President Bola Tinubu to lower the cost of national governance, accusing the administration of squandering a lot of money on pointless expenses.
In a statement released on Friday, the association’s Secretary-General, Mr. Sola Ebiseni, made this claim.
The government needed to implement and update the Orosanye report, the group claimed.
Nobody today contests the necessity of sacrifices made by residents to restore the nation’s budgetary soundness, according to the statement.
But everyone must make that sacrifice, and it must be done gradually. Those in positions of authority in the nation must set an example.
“It’s time we have a really open, serious, and comprehensive discussion about the excessive expense of government. Ending the massive squandering of tax dollars on a plethora of government departments and offices that serve no clear social purpose is necessary.
“The Oransaye’s study must be revised to reflect the new compelling and urgent need to lower the cost of governance as well as new agencies that have been introduced to the federal bureaucracy since the study.
It is urgently necessary to bring the infamously opaque, obscene, and unconscionable salaries,
allowances, perks, and “retirement benefits” of the Executive and Legislative arms of government—at all levels—incredibly higher than the pay of public officials in eminently wealthier countries.Similar to this, a review of the General Service Rules and the Code of Conduct must be implemented to rid the service of the attitude that has permitted careless exploitation and system leaks under the mistaken assumption that the nation is wealthy. While being wasteful is not honorable, being prudent is.
For instance, much wealthier countries do not partake in such frivolities and luxury, despite public officials at all levels traveling in unending motorcades of expensive, bulletproof foreign automobiles, and the presidency maintaining a fleet of 11 presidential airplanes.
The organization renewed its proposal for national reform, arguing that it would significantly improve the nation’s security.
“We remain committed to the restructuring of the federation such that the federating nationalities and states will have the true capacity for internal security,” the statement proclaimed.