COVID-19: What ₦37.7 Billion Frivolous Budget Spend Can Do

With the COVID 19 pandemic, communities and economies across the world are facing unprecedented challenges. The crises taking a toll on the society is reportedly devastating the poor and the vulnerable. Moreso, the pandemic is predicted to impacts on children globally.  

These impacts include malnutrition, child labour, domestic abuse, gender and sexual-based violence. In many parts of the world, the lockdown is limiting access to food supplies and denying children nourishment they receive from the free school meals. Even among older folks, food insecurity heightens health risks as COVID 19 drills deeper. 

In Nigeria, existing socioeconomic crises dampen the country’s outlook. For instance, at least 2 million displaced people in northeast Nigeria are at risk of contracting the coronavirus infection. In fact, poor nutrition, lack of proper sanitation and overcrowding have been reported to be worsening the situation in many IDP camps across the country.  

Other identified problems surrounding the pandemic in Nigeria also include financial exclusion of a significant part of the population, considerable income instability and series of threats on possible job losses. A significant public uproar has been generated because of the mode of disbursement of the COVID 19 relief fund from the government largely because of the financial exclusion of a significant population of Nigerians. 

Amidst the growing needs for food supply, water and basic hygiene among the Nigerians, tons of frivolous expenditure abound in the 2020 appropriation bill. In a recent DATAPHYTE analysis, about ₦37.7bn worth of frivolous expenditures were identified.

This money sum can be channelled into several national needs, especially, needs emerging with the pandemic could make some difference. As a matter of fact, the ₦37.7bn is more than the ₦15.3 billion donations the Central Bank of Nigeria received from philanthropists to combat the pandemic. 

To address the growing food need, a food aid of ₦20,000 per household will ensure that at least 1,885,000 households have a basic supply of food during this period of emergency. Given that the average household size in the country is 5 persons per household, over 9 million Nigerians from the poorest households can be impacted by the food aid derived from frivolous items on the budget. Besides, the ₦37.7bn can also contribute significantly to the provision of temporary accommodation for the estimated 108 million homeless Nigerians scattered across the country. 

This sum, ₦37.7bn, also converts to 3,770 ventilators at a price of ₦10m each 37 isolation centres can also be constructed from the sum at a cost of ₦1bn each. Likewise, it can be used to provide different forms of relief to over 2 million internally displaced persons in the country. 

Summarily, the frivolous items in the budget can satisfy several needs during this pandemic. In fact, more frivolous items in the budget can be identified and utilized to address the growing list of needs in the country.