Mr. Osita Okechukwu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) strongly disagrees with the Enugu State administration’s plans to raise the majority of funds for the 2024 budget via internally generated revenue.
The APC chieftain described the move as squeezing water out of stone; the people are already enduring economic hardship and suffering and extreme taxation would deepen the hardship.
Okechukwu stated this at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on Sunday in response to questions on the 2024 Enugu State budget appropriation tagged “Budget of disruptive economic growth”.
Appreciating the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s vision and ambition for the state, the APC however calls for caution as Enugu people and Nigerians at large have been in dire financial straits with high costs of food items, transportation, medication, etc.
“One personally admires the zeal, passion, and ambition of His Excellency, Peter Mbah, to budget 1/2 trillion naira for the 2024 fiscal year. However, one has to caution him to beware of the dangers of squeezing 1/4 trillion Naira out of stone.”
“I shivered when I heard the governor mention the word maximization of internally generated revenue, and I imagined if it is not from the same impoverished folks of which over 40% fall under multidimensional poverty cadre. And my question is this N1/4 trillion Governor Mba’s disruption on the move?”
Accepting that internally generated revenue drive is essential for development, Okechukwu insists that the state government should also bear in mind the multi-dimensional poverty status of the majority of the indigenes of the State.
“I don’t know the current National Bureau of Statistics poverty ranking of my state, but the little I know is that there is abject poverty, gross unemployment, and palpable insecurity which have driven farmers out of their farms.”
He then advised the Governor to focus on working out transparent and judicious usage of the Federation Account Allocation, establish cordial relationships with the Federal Government so as to attract and benefit from federal projects and engage private sectors to boost improve power supply in the state.
“The problem is that most governors utilize FAAC monthly allocation as pocket money and squander it for personal expenses instead of tangible investment,” Okechukwu said.
“Secondly, he ‘the Governor of Enugu state’ should establish cordial relationships with the Federal Government so as to benefit from projects like the Enugu Urban Water scheme initiated by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) programs among others.
“And, he should intensify collaboration with his colleagues in the private sector to fund 1,000 megawatts; sulfur dioxide emission-controlled Coal-fired Power Plant. This will attract investors as experts believe that power supply is fundamental to stimulating investment and economic growth.”
The APC chieftain also noted that Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD), an air pollution control device for sulfur dioxide emissions will take care of climate change when the Coal-fired-Power Plant is in use.
He further reveals that as of July 2023, China had 1,142 Coal-Fired Power Plants; India, 282; USA, 210; Japan, 93; Germany 58.
