NAN-H-33
Funds
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Lagos, Dec. 25, 2016 (NAN) Some Nigerians on
Sunday expressed their support for the
plan by President Muhammadu Buhari to use
the recovered looted funds to finance the
2017 budget.
The people gave their backing in separate
interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) in Lagos.
NAN reports that President Muhammadu
Buhari last week presented the 2017
Appropriation Bill before the joint session of
the National Assembly
Buhari, saying that the 2017 budget would be
financed with recovered monies.
Prof. Lai Olorode, a former National
Commissioner with the Independent National
Electoral Commission, applauded President
Muhammadu Buhari for proposing to use the
recovered looted funds to fund the 2017 budget.
“The looted funds belong to the public and
now that the funds have been recovered, they
are being recycled for the primary purpose for
which they had been originally meant for.
“Which is improvement in the
welfare of the people through the delivery of
social services,’’ Olorode said.
He said, “President Buhari and his team
deserve commendation. ‘’
Olorode, therefore, said that the budget should be
implemented to the letter.
Mr Toyin Raheem, the Executive Secretary, Campaign Against Corruption and Bad Governance ( CACOBAG), a Non-Governmental Organisation, al;so
supported funding the budget with the recovered
loots.
“It is not wrong to use the recovered loot to
finance the 2017 budget. After all, the 2016 budget
is financed through loan.
“The funds cannot just be lying idle or end up
being looted by other corrupt elements.
“Though, nothing has shown that 2017 budget
will also not be financed through loan,”
Raheem said.
Chief Martin Onovo, the 2015 Presidential
Candidate of the National Conscience Party,
also supported that public funds should be
used for public purposes.
“Public funds should be used for public
purposes.
“The Federal Government should use all funds
recovered from looters to fund the 2017
budget and mitigate borrowing, ‘’ Onovo said.
(NAN)
LED/AJA
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(Edited by Adeleye AjayI)