Many Nigerians can’t eat, yet N40m budgeted for Aso Rock wildlife - Sen Ben Bruce

Ben Bruce, senator representing Bayelsa east, says it’s heartbreaking that at a time many Nigerians can’t afford to eat, N40 million in the 2017 budget was designated for the feeding of wild animals in the presidential villa.

In a couple of tweets on Thursday night, Bruce said at N510 to a dollar, it has reached a stage where buying made in Nigeria commodities is a necessity.

“It breaks my heart that at a time when many Nigerians can’t eat we are budgeting N40 million to feed wildlife in Aso Rock Presidential Villa,” he tweeted.

“At N510 to a dollar, #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira is no luxury, it is not even a necessity. Nigeria has reached the stage where it’s a necessity.”

The senator has been openly critical of the 2017 budget proposal.

“Recurrent expenditure is still 70 to 75 percent, that has not changed, Nigeria will not develop that way, [we should] reduce it by 50 percent so that we can put in capital projects,” Bruce had said during the debate on the 2017 appropriation bill.

He also said the benchmark of N305 to a dollar was not realistic because at the “black market”, naira was about N500 to a dollar.