A leading Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has described the 2016 budget as unrealistic, saying it was not targeted at recovery of the nation’s failing economy.
Afenifere also advised President Muhammadu Buhari to adopt the recommendations of 2014 constitutional conference report as a way out of the economic doldrums.
Speaking after its meeting in Akure on Tuesday, spokesman of the group, Yinka Odumakin, said excessive borrowing captured in the budget indicated that President Buhari is not focused on economic diversification.
Afenifere urged the National Assembly to properly scrutinise every line of budget so as to ensure the country get a budget that would bring prudence into the system.
The group noted that for the country to get out of the current economic crisis, the federal government should immediately consider the restructuring of the country along the recommendations of the 2014 national conference.
“We were embarrassed and scandalized by the processes that characterised the presentation of 2016 budget, which is unprecedented in the history of our country,” Odumakin said.
“That a budget will be presented, declared missing without knowing another one will surface and then the president will now write on the matter
“If there were mistakes in the earlier budget presented, government should have come out clean and said sorry, we made mistakes and we want to correct the errors.
“We hope that the federal government will not allow it to happen again in our country, it is embarrassing and scandalous,” he said.
While showing support for the anti-corruption war, the group urged the president not to be selective and sectional in the fight.
According to Odumakin, the anti-corruption war should not be the only agenda of the government, instead the government should concentrate on rebuilding the economy.
