Former governor of Yobe State, Senator Buka Ibrahim, has warned the
Federal Government to expect insurgency worse than that of the Boko
Haram in the coming months, if it failed to redress the paltry funds
appropriated to the North-East in the 2013 budget.
The Senator spoke in the wake of the 2013 budget presentation by President Goodluck Jonathan at the National Assembly last Wednesday.
He said Federal Government’s allocation to the region
was alarming, arguing that it was another form of injustice.
He said: “Boko Haram is a product of poverty. It is a product of
unhappiness. We are unhappy with Nigeria. Unless something is done to
address it, Nigeria should expect bigger Boko Haram insurgency, Insha
Allah.
“Other geo-political zones got N79 billion or N80 billion. But the
North-East has only N50 billion; a difference of N30 billion. Go and
check the budget figures or ask the Director-General Budget Office.”
Asked what the Federal Government should do to avert such a
development, he said continuous injustice could only breed continuous
insecurity.
“Look, injustice is the basis of all crises in the world. All
insecurity comes from injustice. If injustice continues, there will
never be peace.
“The panacea is for the government to be conscious of the fact that
this part of the country that is totally being neglected; this area
called an area without security, is also an area to which injustice has
been meted out for decades.”
“Unless concerted effort is made to balance it up, there is no hope.”
Reminded that the President’s 2013 budget was just a proposal and
that the National Assembly could rectify the wrong, Abba said: “You see,
when the difference is so huge from the Executive, it’s difficult for
the National Assembly to really do much to completely change it.
“More so, the members of the National Assembly are not all from the North-East.”
The Senator said it was only 20 percent of members of the National
Assembly that were from the North-East, adding that the remaining 80
percent will also want to work in favour of their own geo-political
zones.
-VANGUARD
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