NEBPRIL urges NASS to suspend constituency projects, redirect subsidy savings to fund healthcare, e-learning infrastructure

Network for Best Practice and Integrity in Leadership (NEBPRIL), has called on the National Assembly to lead a patriotic initiative, hinged on fiscal discipline, prudent budgeting, and reinvigorate its oversight functions to put Nigeria on the path of speedy post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
This initiative, the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) said includes suspension of constituency projects for a period of one year; strengthening oversight mechanisms to ensure blockage of avenues of wastage; application of NASS legislative powers on budgeting to redirect subsidy removal savings, investing in healthcare and education e-learning infrastructure and capacity building being the two sectors the pandemic has exposed grave inadequacies and pathetic fragility.
NEBPRIL also urged NASS to vote against the executive’s recently proposed ‘Proceeds of Crime Recovery and Management Agency Bill’ as well as the proposed 365-day 60th Independence anniversary celebration, describing them as ludicrous in the face of current gloomy economic condition in Nigeria.
It said that the “dwindling economic condition makes it imperative for government to begin to devise creative means to manage scarce resources and make conscious efforts to block every avenue of possible wastage.”
In a letter to both the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, made available to newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, titled ‘The Legislature, budgeting and oversight in post-covid Nigerian economy “, and signed by its chairman, Victor Afam Ogene, a former deputy spokesperson of the House of the Representatives in the 7th Assembly, NEBPRIL said, “Records show that Nigeria was paying an average of N 11 trillion annually for petroleum products subsidy.