Group Describes FG N500 Billion MTEF As Timely Lifeline

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, December 9th, 2015

A Non-Governmental Organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has commended the Federal Government (FG) over the submission of N500 billion Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for social welfare package.

The package targeted at students, former youth corps members and the vulnerable in society and which is part of the proposed N6.04 trillion 2016 fiscal year, the group asserted was a bold welfare programme, noting that such gesture was unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.

“This is a real dividend of democracy for the man in the street. With this initiative, Nigeria is well on the way to rubbing shoulders with the big democracies of the world” said, MURIC in a statement signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

It therefore urged the National Assembly to embrace the initiative without any hesitation and to give it a speedy approval. The group charged opposition parties to avoid politicizing the package, stating that the programme was “capable of encouraging small scale entrepreneurship thereby reducing poverty among Nigerians”.

Professor Akintola called on Nigerians to reciprocate the good gesture of the present administration by supporting the war against corruption and all other FG projects. He equally charged the Nigerian Labour Congress NLC), Nigerian students, the press and all other progressive unions to rally behind Buhari-led administration and its programmes.