…Commends Reps members

..Insist the time calls for thorough management

By Olayinka Ajayi 

Renowned architect and Chief Executive Officer of Cosmo Base Consortium, Benson Ezem, has commended 60 members of the Federal House of Representatives for proposing the parliamentary system as a way of mitigating the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

Ezem, in his reaction on Sunday, insisted that a parliamentary system would drastically reduce the cost of governance.

His words: “This time calls for ingenuity in the management of our economy; there should not be business as usual if we are to come out of the distress we are in in this country.

“I commend the 60 Federal House Representative members pushing for the parliamentary system of governance in light of the economic hardship Nigeria is going through.

“It is time we start looking at ways of cutting down on the cost of governance. The executive should be more intentional in their bid to cut costs by reducing the number of appointments and paraphernalia in the office. 

“Our economic policy should be such that it will address the suffering of the people. The continuous increase in import duties and the cost of clearing all imports are causing a spiraling increase in imported goods, thereby affecting the building industry. 

“Our much talked-about 20,000 houses per start is very unrealistic and unachievable. Not all states need that number of houses if you want to avoid the experience of some states during the Jakande housing era, when the housing sites became strongholds for criminals and an economic waste. 

The government can put together a workable framework for housing provision and allow private sector participation.

“The government should address the increasing cost of building materials, especially cement, by engaging with the manufacturers and addressing their immediate needs, especially the foreign exchange demand for power and diesel. 

“It is important to keep this industry alive because allowing them to close down will be counterproductive.

“The government should ban all medical tourism by any government official, including all elected members, and foreign trips. Our foreign offices, I believe, can handle such matters with adequate briefing. Monitored budget release for items budgeted: our monitoring and implementation department under the president should be more proactive to ensure the performance of our bloated budget.

The time now calls for ingenuity in the management of our economy. It should not be business as usual if we are to come out of the distress we are in in this country.

We must be ready to fight corruption at all levels, with zero tolerance for corruption.”