Group Cautions Nigerian Government Against Blaming Coronavirus For 2020 Budget Implementation Delay

Executive Chairman of the CHRSJ, Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, stated that the government lacked the competence to manage the nation’s economy in a sustainable manner.

The Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice has urged the Nigerian Government to stop blaming the current upheaval in the implementation of the 2020 budget on Coronavirus outbreak.

Executive Chairman of the CHRSJ, Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, stated that the government lacked the competence to manage the nation’s economy in a sustainable manner.

The group was responding to claims by Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, that the impact of Coronavirus outbreak was the reason for the decision of government to review the 2020 national budget of N10.95trn.

In a statement, Sulaiman accused the All Progressives Congress for its inability to pull the country out of its economic recession contrary to its claim of having done otherwise.

According to the group, the reason adduced was not genuine owing to the nature of the mono-economy system the country operates, which it stated was seriously affecting the economy presently.

He said, “The present administration promised to diversify the nation’s economy but five years down the line, Nigeria still relies on one product to put up its 2020 budget.

"Blaming the budget crisis on Coronavirus was a lame excuse nurtured by gross incompetence of the current administration.

“The Buhari-led government has not been doing anything meaningful on the need to broaden the nation’s economic base in a sustainable manner that would ensure that the people are productively engaged for meaningful economic endeavours.”

The Executive Director of CHRSJ also faulted the claim of President Buhari to have lifted about 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, adding that no serious country like Nigeria would rely on mono-economy to lift her people out of poverty.

The rights activist advised government to seriously and aggressively make use of agriculture as the next point of call to diversify the Nigerian economy before, adding that paying lip service to the issue of diversification of the economy would not take the country anywhere.