*Says there’s no single Urhobo man in Budget Office nor In Presidency
By Victor Lewis
House of Representatives member for Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency, Hon. Ben Etanabene has given reasons why members from minority tribes in the country are less privileged to benefit from Constituency projects for their areas as much as their counterparts from the majority tribes in the country.
Etanabene who lamented this situation in his Facebook page, disclosed that in most ministries, Departments and Agencies Permanent Secretaries, Directors-generals and other top civil service staff saddled with the responsibility of drawing up yearly budgets for their MDA’s are from the majority tribes in the country.
According to him, as a legislator, you would continue to write to the MDA’s about particular project needs in your Constituency but the PS or DG would not consider your letter when it is time to prepare budgetary allocations as long as you are from a minority tribe in the country.
Etanabene who decried the State of Warri-Benin federal highway, Amukpe-Agbor federal highway which are in a very bad shape and the Sapele, Koko and Warri Ports which have become moribund for decades, argued that legislators from those areas including himself, have continued to write and propose these projects to the MDAs but no attention is given to them.
He lamented the ugly situation makes legislators from the minority areas feel inferior amongst their colleagues in the National Assembly and also it makes people from their Constituency look down on them as if they are not capable to represent them.
“Budget is prepared from the MDAs to Budget office. Only those of the major tribes in Nigeria you can find as Perm sec, Director Generals etc. Even in the budget office, only major tribes (these are the people who prepare budget). They put projects only from where they come from. That’s one of the major reason while areas like ours are not captured in the National budget.
“You can write as a legislator till thy kingdom come, they will never attend to you. People in this country make you feel inferior. Look at warri-benin road. Amukpe- agbor etc do many of you think we have not complained? No federal presence. Common NPA opening for sapele, koko and warri, na wahala with too much grammer”, he explained.
Etanabene condemned the process where PS, DG’s and other departmental heads in the MDAs who are mainly from majority tribes compile projects for budgetary allocations is wrong.
He recalled his suggestion during a retreat from members, that projects that originated from their respective Constituency be forwarded to the Budget Office for compilation rather than to the MDA’s, lamenting further that there is no Urhobo man in any position of budgetary compilation office.
“These major tribes are not fair with minorities as it affects budget. When we talk, they ask us to talk more. And nothing happens.
“I argued at the early days during a retreat of members with the budget office, that the best way is to allow members submit projects originated by their constituents to the budget office direct for compilation.
“All these system where the big tribes dominate budget compilation is wrong. There’s no urhobo man as perm sec anywhere in Nigeria. No urhobo man as Director in budget office. Even in Presidency. No one”, he lamented.
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