APC chieftain says scrapping security votes solution to high cost of governance

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A statesman and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Alhaji Lasisi A. K. Jimoh has suggested scrapping of security votes as the only solution to the high cost of governance in Nigeria.

He berated the adoption of security votes by government at all levels in the country, describing it as legalized looting of public treasury.

Speaking in an interview with journàlists, he said “If I have my way, I will want to stop the idea of security votes. I was a civil servant and held positions where I knew how the so called security votes are operated.

“It is not subject to auditing but a legalized looting of public fund, because you cannot see billions of naira being spent on security and you cannot see anything tangible done with the security votes.

“If it cannot be stopped completely, it should be regulated, there should be a law on the establishment and regulation of the security votes.

“If, it cannot be audited publicly, it should be audited confidentially. At least the National or State Assemblies should have a constitutional right to know how the so called security votes are expended.”

While also condemning the culture of long convoys of political office holders in armoured vehicles, Jimoh queried who is after their lives.

The APC chieftain recommended democratic socialism in the form of austerity under the current socio-economic trauma the country is passing through, rather than the political office holders living extravagant lives, while the masses suffer.

“To improve our foreign reserve, we can boycott the boycottable, and stop importation of luxury goods. Why do we need to import so many armoured cars and vehicles into the country?

“Each armoured car or vehicle cost more than N100m, why do we need that in this country?”, he asked.

On fuel subsidy removal, he commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the decision, but faulted the hasty and unprepared manner it was implemented.

He compared it to a patient going for surgery, saying anesthesia needs to be applied to kill the pain during operation, hence, the federal government ought to have applied the same method by putting in place socio-political anesthesia for the citizens.

Jimoh described palliatives in form of food, vehicles and cash among others as an after thought which ought to have been introduced in the first instance before the removal of the fuel us subsidy.

He noted that the labour unions were also not helping matters as they continue to ask for more money which would not improve their living standard.

“The labour unions are not helping matters as far as I am concerned, I was a labour activist, I started work in the private sector with the British Petroleum, BP, and was chairman of the workers union, first it was West African Limited, when we joined and later became BP Nigeria limited between 1967-1968.

“In those days, our agitation centered on give us more money, and I am surprised that up till now, trade unionism has not grown beyond that level.

“I except the unions by now, to be so articulate as to be giving the government guidelines and helping with ideas on how to achieve good governance, not just asking for more money all the time,” he stated.

He said what matters “is not the amount of money the workers take home, but the amount of goods and services which their take home can provide, that is what is important.”