N4bn allocation to women ministry in 2016 inadequate ---Tinubu
(Nigeria) Senetor Oluremi Tinubu (APC-Lagos Central) says
the budgetary allocation of N4 billion to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs
and Social Development was inadequate.
Tinubu during the debate on the general principles of the
2016 budget proposal at plenary in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the allocation
will not be adequate to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian
women, who are looking up to the APC-led government for succour in line with
its 2015 campaign promises.
“This budget is less than N4 billion and the capital is
almost N3 billion. When you look at it what is left to do any work. I am laying
this case on behalf of the Nigerian women that this is not going to go well. It
is as if we have been used during the campaign.
“We say this is the government of change that our change
mantra is supposed to change things across board but what they allotted to the
Nigerian women is not encouraging. When we talk about change that doesn’t mean
we are going to just be supporting what is not working. So the women are not
just going to be used to campaign and several promises are made to them. This
budget is not telling anything and not making any promises.’’
The lawmaker argued that the N1 billion ear-marked for
recurrent will hardly cater for the empowerment programmes under the ministry.
“When we look at the functions of this ministry, we see that
the ministry is divided into two, human resources and capacity building, economic
services and women cooperatives. ``But when we look at the first division,
which is the human resources and capacity building, they are supposed to
promote education, development of women in the civil, political,
socio-cultural, and economic sectors.
“Also to promote motherhood women’s health especially
maternal mortality; and not only that, they are supposed to fund six zonal political
empowerment offices. Subventions and grants to NGOs, Nigerian women trust fund,
management of shelter for female victims of violence, 100 women lobby groups,
welfare support for indigent women.”
She called on the Senate Committee on Appropriation to
increase the allocation considerably to enable the ministry to meet its
obligations to Nigerian women.
Comments
Post a Comment