Mr John Kolawole, General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), wants the Federal Government to implement the provisions of the 2013 budget to enhance the achievement of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.?
Commenting on the budget proposals in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, in Lagos, Kolawole lauded the allocations to the various sectors.
“The allocations to the various sectors of the economy are good; we want the government not only to present an annual laudable budget but to ensure its implementation.
“We also want the National Assembly (NASS) to ensure quick passage of the budget since it has already been presented to a joint session of the NASS,’’ Kolawole said.
However, he said that the government should have allocated more funds to agriculture to ensure food security and human development.
“The N81.41 billion allocated to agriculture and rural development is moderate. The sector is on the concurrent list, which means that state governments would vote the same amount to the sector.
“If all the votes to the sector are well channelled, it will positively affect the sector and we would be on the way to fulfilling the transformation agenda of the president,’’ Kolawole said.
Also speaking with NAN, Mr Phillip Agbonkonkon, General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, said that if the provisions of the budget were adequately implemented, the economy would grow.
He added that effective implementation of the budget would `positively’ affect the lives of workers.
“If workers are impoverished, the budget will make little meaning to national development,’’ Agbonkonkon said.
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