Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi: As government frustrates SURE-P into sacking 111,000 When the now-rested Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in February this year intimated us that the federal government is diverting the SURE-P money towards prosecuting project 2015, many dismissed the allegation as another political statement lacking in substance. But now, we know better. The loquacious spokesman of the defunct party, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, then said: “Ordinarily, SURE-P seems laudable as it is aimed at the empowerment of the citizens through job creation and infrastructure development, but in reality, PDP apparatchiks have hijacked it for the purpose of empowering only the party’s members. “They have created State Implementation Committees (SICs) to handle the disbursement of SURE-P cash to party members as a strategy to arm them with a war chest ahead of the 2015 elections. To make matters worse, the PDP is denigrating the traditional institution by using traditional rulers in some states as the conduit to distribute SURE-P funds, ostensibly to empower Nigerians but in reality to put money in the pockets of PDP supporters.” Though this disclosure was made over eight months ago, the substance in it became evident to us last Thursday when the Presidential Committee on Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, told the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on SURE-P in Abuja that it may lay off 111,000 workers by September 30 if additional funds were not made available to it. SURE-P Chairman, Dr. Christopher Kolade, informed the Senator Abdul Ningi-led committee that out of its budget of N27 billion earmarked as workers’ salaries which was captured under its employment generation scheme that comprised 3,000 workers from each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), only a paltry N9 billion was approved in the 2013 budget. With this development, Dr. Kolade told the senators that SURE-P wouldn’t be able to meet its commitment to the 111,000 youths already engaged under the programme, stressing that the cut in its budget had also compromised its target of employing 5,000 workers per state and the FCT on a monthly allowance of N10,000 apiece. Inherent in the preceding are evidences of what we have to sacrifice for them to have their 2015. To be ernest, I find it difficult to swallow the fact that this ubiquitous project 2015 also laid its larceny hand on the funds meant for SURE-P. This is as I had always been under the illusion that both SURE-P and the money meant to execute it are sacred, far-removed from the reach of our stealing politicians. Pray, must 2015 rob us of everything? Having successfully despoiled us of the attention our leaders should accord pressing state matters, must it also short change us of the dividends of SURE-P which are supposed to be inviolable? Inviolable, because it is that same initiative that saved the current government from the fuel subsidy removal conflagration which almost snuffed life out of it at the birth of 2012. It was also courtesy of SURE-P that Nigerians gave up their quest for the return of the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, to N65 accepting to buy same for N97. Indeed, the event of SURE-P it was that calmed frayed nerves which were flared by government’s cavalier total removal of fuel subsidy at a time it was least expected. It then becomes unthinkable for anyone to tinker with this all-important peace broker just because he wants to have 2015 go his way. What an affront on Nigerians! It’s not even up to two full years since SURE-P quenched the fire ignited by the fuel subsidy removal, still they are already misusing its money. See how they like taking advantage of us. They must have reasoned that by now Nigerians ought to have become used to buying PMS at N97 to the extent that they would no longer remember events that preceded the extant pump price of petrol. But if they can’t respect we the living by allowing SURE-P do for us what it is intended, can’t they spare some for those who died in the course of the oil subsidy removal imbroglio? Why treat with contempt one major gain produced by the struggle for which compatriots gave up their lives? Do they think the dead are as forgetful as we the living? Everyone of us are mortals after all, so when we go the way of all mortals, those abusing this essential fruit of the sacrifice of the dead should be ready to square up with them even before facing the judgment throne. I bet that many Nigerians wouldn’t be so surprise at what government have made of the SURE-P funds and of the programme itself. For they know it is archetypal of an average Nigerian politician to throw everything into his quest to remain in power. If they steal when they apparently don’t have need for money like Farida Waziri made us to understand, imagine what they would do when they have a capital-intensive project like a re-election bid to accomplish.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 18:52:22 +0000
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