Nigeria Can’t Keep Spending Recklessly On Security Votes – TUC

The Trade Union Congress, TUC has come out to ask the 36 state governors to render account on how they have been spending humongous amount set aside for security votes over the years.

The National Treasurer of TUC, who doubles as President-General of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Mohammad Yunusa, recently revealed in an interview in Abuja.

According to him, it is a shame to see that whenever they are asked about how they are using it, they will tell you that security matters are shrouded in secrecy and no one needs to see what they are doing with it.

He added that the government must cut down the cost of governance as soon as possible because the country cannot keep spending recklessly.

His words, ”Let us look at the narratives before now. Government gives security votes to all State governors before now as Chief Security Officer of their States, and before now, that money is not usually accounted for.”

”If you ask how they are using it, they will tell you that security matters are shrouded in secrecy, that you don’t need to see what we are doing with it.”

”If you’re the chief security officer of a state, and you’re being given security votes, I don’t know how much that is given to you, I don’t know what you’re doing with it, how can I help you to secure the state? I don’t know what your programmes are.”

”We are now changing the narratives to say no, if the security is the collective responsibility of every citizen, let the state governors share their plans with the citizens, so that we can key into that plan and secure our state.”

”We have been saying it that government must cut down the cost of governance. Nobody can say, even the media, how much is spent by the Nigerian government on the bicameral legislature for example. You have the Senate, you have the House of Representatives, and if you look at their functions, they are duplicated.”

”So, a government that is serious about cutting down cost, will now say, okay, let’s have only one legislature. Let’s have the unicameral legislature, then scrap House of Representatives for example. Then, whatever you’re pouring to that place, you can save it and divert it to do other things.”

”If you cannot earn more, you can at least save cost. That’s one of the strategies that can revive our economy.”

”And then you have to find a way to reduce insecurity. No investor will invest in a place that is not secured, and as long as there are indices of insecurity in Nigeria, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will continue to elude this country. It is a function of government to protect lives and property. If they are unable to do it, that is the huge minus. If you want to grow your economy, you have to provide safety and security.”

”We believe that security issue is a collective duty of the citizens, but we have also been saying that there is a direct link between save economic well-being and security. Poverty spurs criminalities, and if you want to deal with insecurity, part of it is to fight poverty.”

“The man that has not seen N2,000 in three months, if you give him N50,000 to go and kill people, he will do it.”

”So, we have been saying it and we want to reiterate it that government has to reduce poverty even as a way of fighting criminality.”