By Rowland Udoh
The APC led Federal Government of Nigeria rode to power in 2015 on populism. To pay back the cult- like support given to its standard bearer, then General Muhammadu Buhari, they chose the National Social Investment Programme and domiciled it in the Presidency.
Since then, the programme has been dogged by controversy. What is of special interest to this writer is the National Cash Transfer Initiative where beneficiaries are paid a stipend of N5,000 monthly.
A careful look at the implementation figures show that 1,491,296 households, 6,056,872 individuals have been captured in the register. The budget releases have been as follows:
2016……………………16%
2017…………………….36%
2018…………………….53%
It is to be noted that appropriation has been N400 billion annually.
Some years ago, in Jigawa State under the leadership of Alhaji Saminu Turaki as Governor from 1999 to 2007, the government had introduced the POLLING UNIT STIPEND which was shared monthly to those whose names appeared on the Voters Register and were sympathetic towards the rolling APP/ANPP in the state.
It was this kind of social security that got him victory at the 2003 general elections despite massive intimidation from Abuja forces.
Even the seemingly failed attempt to recall then member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Engr. Farouk Adamu Aliyu was largely seen as a huge success but for the well known over-bloated voters’ register.
Having taken a critical look at the 2018 budget releases and the disbursement, could it not be said that it was slush funds to win electoral votes in the recently conducted elections of February/March 2019?
In the light of the recent N10 billion release to Kogi State Government just a few days before the November governorship election and senatorial re-run in Kogi West, could it not be argued that having seen the benefit in the February/March election, it is now time for over kill to sustain the enfant terrible of Kogi politics whose strongest promoters are in the Presidency?
It is time to search our conscience and de-monetise our politics and electioneering. Let accountability and transparency be the currency of our evaluation and the health of Nigeria, our interest.
Udoh is an Abuja-based journalist
