‘Recession is teaching Nigerians a lesson in moderation’

Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (PDP-Abia) is chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions in the lower house of the National Assembly. In this interview with KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Nkem-Abonta spoke on the oft rift between the Executive and Legislature in relation to budget presentation and passage; the benefits of the recession, among other issues. Excerpts:

Some critics say that it is the National Assembly that’s frustrating the presentation of the 2017 budget. What’s your reaction to that?

All over the world, the basic issue that leads to conflict between the executive and legislature is budget. And because we do not have sufficient interface between the legislature and the executive, we will continue to have that. If you look at it, budgets are being tailored in the past and I say it shouldn’t continue according to the desires of those who design the budget first. And when it comes to the legislature and you try to tinker so much with it, they cry and accuse you of all what-not. Therefore, trying to work within their presentation, you are limited. They’d tell you they came with an envelope, don’t tamper with their envelope; and you try to play with the envelope. But whereas the executive ought to sit down and think; what is the need of Nigerians? If we identify food to be our greatest need, then you budget adequately for food and food production and processing, preservation and export and all what-not. Get those who are master of thoughts in it. If you identify now that education is one of our biggest problems, you design some educational policies and programmes that would stand the test of time. We’ve had 3-3-3, 3-4-2 and all that, but no one is standing. Now we are about to witness another somersault of policy in the education sector, because what we have now cannot maintain our industries.

What we have is a mere intellectual exercise that’s flying, it’s not grounded. It would surprise you to know that most Americans and British don’t go to school. Many are drop-outs because they don’t go to college. But at the level of their secondary (high) school which is our intermediary here, they are technically balanced and known. That even if they don’t go to university which they call college, they still fit in into what they are doing. Your HND now from technical schools are not even recognised. Years back, we had trade schools. Those trade schools, are they still existing? They teach you the basic substance like carpentry, wood work, brick-laying, metal fabrication and all what-not, that makes you fit into the society. In Abuja for instance, any good technician here are trained by Julius Berger. They employ and train for their basic use.

Then as a person you need to plaster a house, you have Togolese here, Ghanaians, because they had gone to their own trade schools. If you have any good finished house in Asokoro, in Maitama, anywhere, find out who did it, they are from Togo. Are we not having capable Nigerians? But because our education system failed to provide for such kind of people, there are no technical, trade schools where they can learn these things. Agreed, they go to secondary schools where they write their WAEC and NECO and pass, but yet they cannot construct a complete sentence. They are not even fit for office assistant or messenger jobs, but they are looking for jobs. Therefore, if education is an area you think you need more effort; you should train people in that area. If infrastructure is what you are lacking, you can now plan and say, let us have a tarred road of so-so kilometres per budget year. And you do them to stand the test of time. You must identify your need, because a situation where by 70 percent of the budget goes to recurrent, how can you grow? A situation where the greater amount of money goes to payment of emolument, that’s failing to plan.

If you get a yam tuber and you boil everything to the head and eat, it goes to waste. But when you preserve the head and plant, you will get another yam to eat. We are not preserving, we are not planning; and that’s what recession and Buhari is going to teach us. We should begin to plan, look inward; we should begin to develop indigenous ideas suitable for Nigeria. We should begin to balance the market. Recession will now tell us to moderate our taste. Are you surprised to know that Nigerians rank among the highest champaign consumers? Nigeria has ranked the highest amongst countries that import and consume the best of red wine. South Africa that produces the best red wine in Africa doesn’t rake up to one-third of the wine they bring to us. The Italians, the French or Russians who produce the highest quality that sell N60,000 a bottle of Champaign, check their export record, Nigeria ranks the highest consumer of such Champaign. You throw a party and it’s not flowing with Champaign, it’s not a good party. Now recession has taught us to rethink. Now when you go to such parties, you see more of Heineken and red wines. So is recession now not a blessing? It’s a blessing in disguise. So, recession is now teaching us how to manage what we have, to structure our budget according to what we want. So it comes hard, and I want it to comer harder, so that we may come out taller from it, provided we learn our lessons from it. Before now, you’ll see a man, three vehicles, one would take the children to school, the other one takes the wife to the market, and the man takes the other one to work, but now, no; it’s trimmed. You monitor how it moves, because the inflow is being cut, therefore, we must look inward.

What about the allegation that the National Assembly is the cause of the budget delay?

Yes, the National Assembly is not the cause of the delay, because whatever you bring to the National Assembly must be thoroughly looked at. When you spot a fault, and you take that and re-work before you return it, is that a delay? Are we supposed to rubber stamp whatever is brought to us? So when we get anything from the executive, we must study it, and when we discover there’s need for amendment, we emphasise it. So if there’s need for amendment, it’s either you call their attention to it, or you do it yourself. In other climes, such as Europe and America, they have congressional budget system, executive budget system where things are being reviewed; looked at critically before it comes this way, and when it comes this way, it’s now fine-tuned and sent back. So that’s why when you appoint, you should be able to get ‘appointable’ persons who can do the job into a particular, proper office. Not based on party patronage, friendship, brotherhood; but your ability and capability and a proven worth in what you do, what you’ve done should take you to what to do. And these are lessons from recession. Now how can we come out of recession if we buy more than we sell? What’s our economic policy? What’s the Export Promotion Council doing? How are they getting people to export things? How are they showcasing Nigeria? Today, if you go to Aba, you can see where they write made-in-Aba proudly. It should be made-in-Aba, the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And we should export that. I will ask Buhari and I say it openly, in as much as I believe in the market forces of demand and supply, certain items should be banned or heavily taxed in Nigeria. Consumption of high level alcohol should be taxed heavily so we can think twice, whether you want to buy cartons of Champaign for Christmas or red wine. If you look at the amount of money spent to import Champaign into Nigeria every year, it’s enough to set up factories. It will turn around the agricultural sector. It’s a staggering sum. Now let me tell, before 2016 and the recession, we saw cars of 2016. By now you would have seen the 2017 range rover waiting to be unveiled. They are not there again. Go to the Wharf and enquire from the customs to see, they have not imported them. Go to Coscharis motors, by now you would have seen 2017 cars waiting to be unveiled, nobody is unveiling anything in Nigeria again, it is part of lessons from recession. Therefore, we must manage. We must learn to work within what we have to get what we need.

The recent electoral outcome in Ondo State didn’t favour your party, the PDP. And going by the crisis rocking your party, don’t you think that Nigeria might be heading towards a one-party state?

Not at all. But I can to tell you that there is no house without mosquito. But don’t let the mosquito give you malaria. Tell me which party that is not having crisis, is it the APC? Their acclaimed leader has gone somewhere else. The other day he said it’s only Atiku that can give us joy. Oyegun is battling to keep his chairmanship position. Buhari said that there are several leaders of the APC. And as I’m speaking to you now, there are negotiations, alignment and realignment going on. No party is without crisis. Is it APGA that is without crisis? As we speak, we heard their national chairman has been driven away and they are in court. Would lawyers starve? So, what is happening is political carrot and stick and bandwagon effects. Nigerian politicians don’t do opposition. I’m happy to be in the opposition and a credible opposition at that. I will tell Buhari what he should do to better Nigeria, because I’m not going to criticise him due to the fact that I’m in the opposition. Nigeria belongs to all of us. So I will support him to succeed. So PDP should engage in credible opposition. For me, the party I always reckon with is the opposition, because they are on the guard.