Mixed Reactions of Nigerians trail Buhari's N8.61 Trillion Budget for 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2018 appropriation bill to the National Assembly on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. The N8.6 trillion budget is christened ‘Budget of Consolidation’.

Speaking during the presentation, President Buhari noted that the principal objective of the federal government in 2018 would be to reinforce and build on our recent accomplishments.

The aggregate expenditure comprises recurrent costs of N3.494 trillion; debt service of N2.014 trillion; statutory transfers of N456 billion; sinking fund of N220 billion; and capital expenditure of N.428 trillion. If passed, the budget is expected to result in a deficit of N2.005 trillion, amounting to 1.77 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). To finance the deficit, the Nigerian government would borrow an estimated N1.699 trillion.

As it has been mapped out here by our amiable president, concerning  what its allocated for the development of education in Nigeria, which is, (50 Billion naira).

Mixed reactions of the publics and the officials in the country trailed President Muhammadu Buhari's N8.61 trillion fiscal spending plan for 2018 submitted to the National Assembly.

In a statement jointly signed by NAPS National President, Mohammed Eneji and National Public Relations Officer, Ijaduoye Olasunkanmi, they said the Buhari-led administration has no regard for education in the country, as it continues to pay less attention to the sector which should be given priority.

"The global organization recommended the budgetary benchmark to enable nations to adequately cater for rising education demands. But in the proposal presented to the National Assembly, President Buhari allocated only 7.04 per cent of the N8.6 trillion 2018 budget to the education. The total sum allocated to the sector is N605.8 billion with N435.1 billion for recurrent expenditure, N61.73 billion for capital expenditure."

Below is a statement made available to journalist and signed by the Public Relation Officer of the body, Ijaduoye Olasunkanmi, “Quality education is our right and not a privilege. It beats our imagination to learn how much Nigerians are forced to pay to get qualitative education outside the shores of the country – over 60 billion dollars per year at the detriment of our comatose education sector. The children of the affluent can afford to flee the country, but the children of the masses; who are forced to live within the minimum wage of N18,000 are disadvantaged. These children would not just serve as liabilities to the nation but their incompetence would stunt economic growth,” it read.