INCREASING STATE'S MONTHLY ALLOCATION WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM (A CASE STUDY OF BAYELSA STATE)
Bayelsa State receives the fourth largest additional thirteen percent of oil revenue based on the constitutionally guaranteed derivation principle. It may well have received more than N1Trillion Naira of aggregate oil revenue share since June 1999 fromt the Federation Account according to the Ministry of Finance's published revenue distribution to the thirty-six states.
The appalling physical, human and social conditions of the people of Bayelsa even after a significant slice of the oil rent reaches their subnational government from the common revenue pool, lends credence to the fact that poor governance of oil revenue has similar impact at all levels. "Where did all the oil money go?"
INTRODUCING #TOORICHTOSUFFER; THE SOLUTION TO NIGERIA'S PROBLEM
The very deliberate purpose of the #TooRichToSuffer campaign is to trigger the kind of effective public dialogue that can build political buy-in for a 'root and branch' reform of public financial management at the minimum, or (if possible) a full scale constitutional dialogue that pioneers issues referendum in Nigeria.
Therefore, just like the #NotTooYoungToRun bill that got passed to law recently, Nigerians can push for a #TooRichToSuffer policy that mandates a higher percentage of the revenues generated to be for human capital development, cutting government excesses and having good savings and stabilization mechanism.
Nigeria's oil exploitation is expected to end by year 2055. And with the current culture of corruption and mismanagement, there are no savings for the present, not to talk of the future, a pathetic situation gifted us by bad leadership.
CONSENSUS: NIGERIANS SHOULD MAKE A COLLECTIVE DECISION TO PUSH #TooRichToSuffer until it makes the policy makers uncomfortable, thereby 'forcing' them to make people oriented policies. Nigeria runs the most expensive government in the world; has the highest paid political office holders yet, has the poorest people on earth.
Let the monies generated from oil be used for real development of Nigerians and not solely on running A GOVERNMENT OF EXCESSES!
Public offices are for service, hence, it shouldn't be 'lucrative'!
Olanrewaju Ojuoluwa
Youth Advocate and Social Reformer
Convener, #TooRichToSuffer
+2347065531377
1stsharpmimds@gmail.com
m.facebook.com/TooRichToSuffer