The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Water Resources, Hon, Aliyu Ahman-Pategi, has identified full budget implementation as the most viable solution to eradication of poverty in the state and across the country.
Ahman-Pategi, who represents Edu/Moro/Patigi Federal Constituency in the green chambers of the national assembly, said the bane of our problems has been inability of federal and state governments across country to fully implement their budget adding that full budget implementation is the only way to education of poverty.
Speaking with selected newsmen in the site of his ongoing University, GRA Ilorin, he noted that the 18,000 minimum wage cannot solve the people’s problem.
“The 18,000 minimum wage cannot solve the problem of anybody and until the federal and (state) governments stands up to insist on the faithful implementation of the budget, the societ cannot make progress.
“The budget is their promise to the people which represents the totality of goods and services to be implemented for that financial year.
“Why is it that it only in Nigeria that budget perform 60 percent and below. Any society that does not implement its budget can’t mage progress and in Nigeria, it is a thug of war between the legislature and executive on budget implementation.
“The day governments implement its budget 100 percent, poverty will be a thing of the past because the budget is a totality of all the brilliants minds in a sector across the country. That has been our failure in the last 30 years”, he submitted.
On the controversy of the subsidy payment on the issue of fuel crisis, the lawmaker explained that evidence showed that the government has been subsidising the cost of fuel for consumers without due legislative approval.
He cautioned the executive against spending without the consent of the National Assembly under the guise of fulfilling electioneering promises to the people, saying such move undermines the nation’s constitution and alien to democratic governance.
According to him, government should approach the legislative body with supplementary budget to correct the lapses made previously in this regard.
The lawmaker noted that only total deregulation of the downstream sector will solve the fuel crisis in the country.
He hailed the President Muhammadu Buhari for initiating a bill on water charter for the country which has been passed by representatives, adding that the bill is awaiting the concurrence of the Senate
Ahman- Pategi said the bill stipulates that the federal government should not limited its involvement to only the provision of water dams but should also assist the states and local governments in reticulation project so that there could be regular supply of potable water to every home across the country.
