The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. – Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution

THE Federal Government has no apologies for borrowing at home and abroad to finance the 2012 budget which it calls “the Budget of Fiscal Consolidation”. Only those who coined the phrase can explain it. The level of borrowing to fund the budget and the fact that 72 per cent of the budget would be spent on recurrent expenditure qualifies it for the tag of “Budget of Consumption”.

THE 2011 budget ran at a deficit, but that did not stop government from granting import waivers worth more than N150 billion to 10 companies for them to import rice and palm oil. Over 100 c0mpanies participated in the importation of the tw0 commodities.

WHY should 38 people die in a single boat mishap? The reasons centre on the same neglect that attends almost all aspects of our national life. There were no emergency services to rescue them in an accident that happened in the Rumuolumeni area of Port Harcourt. It would not have made any difference if this accident was in the centre of Abuja.

YEARS back Andrew, a television character, in a public service message, said he was checking out of Nigeria. His main point was that infrastructure had collapsed and things looked hopeless. There are more Andrews today and things have worsened.