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Obasanjo Stops Wasteful Spending to Straighten Priorities

Michael Faloseyi,
The Punch
Abuja

The Federal Government spent over N3.2 billion on gift items, including diaries and calendars, in 2003. This huge expenses informed the decision by President Olusegun Obasanjo to issue a directive to ministries and parastatals last September, stopping the items.

According to a memo stopping further printing of diaries and calendars exclusively obtained by our correspondent, the Federal Government was displeased with the bill.

The memo showed that while some ministries spent about N20m on almanacs, others spent between N320m and N365m on gifts.

Based on the discovery, the President on September 19, 2003 wrote the Secretary to the Government of the Federation thus:

"In continuation of our efforts at eliminating wasteful expenditure in government, please issue a circular to all ministries, parastatals and other government agencies and establishments including the armed forces and the police to effect immediate stoppage of production of calendars, almanacs, diaries and greeting cards.?

He added that the order would remain in force until countermanded by an express directive emanating from his office.

President Obasanjo further clarified in the letter that over N3.2 billion spent on his printing of the items did not represent the actual figure that went into the printing of the materials because the report submitted to him did not cover all the government ministries and agencies.

"You will note that the figures, though extensive in scope, do not cover the entire range of government agencies like the armed forces, paramilitary organisations and academic institutions," he said.

President Obasanjo added, "the actual figure expended in the production of these items by all government establishments put together must be very colossal."

A summary of the total amount spent on the printing of the materials showed that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its parastatals topped the list with N365 million.

The breakdown showed that the Ministry of Finance spent N340 million; Presidency N262 million; Education N205 million; Ministry of Transport N195 million; Communication N125 million; Industries N160 million; Power and Steel, N110 million; Federal Capital Territory N150 million; and Information N140 million.

The list also included Ministry of Works and Housing that expended N100 million; Defence ministry N95 million; and Foreign Affairs and Health N90 million each. The Ministry of Environment spent N20 million which is the lowest expenditure. It was followed in ascending order by the Ministry of Internal Affairs that spent N50 million.

However, a Presidency source who commented on the development claimed that the President might have been misled in cancelling the printing of gift items.

He said that the Presidency figure of N262 million was exaggerated and could not have been the true position of things.

He also cited the listing of the Nigeria Labour Congress as a parastatal under the Ministry of Labour and Productivity as part of the anomaly in the report upon which the President based his decision to stop spendings on the items.

It would be recalled that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation had in September 2003 directed all ministries and parastatals to stop the printing of mementoes and other gift items.

The directive, however, came at a time most of the parastatals had already awarded the contracts for their gift items.

The circular number SGF/OP/1/S.3/V/242 dated September 22, 2003 signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette, said that President Olusegun Obasanjo had noted that a colossal amount of money was expended on the printing of mementoes.

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