N260m For Street Lights: ACF Frowns At Reckless Profligacy Of Public Expenditure

The apex northern sociocultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has frowned at what it described as reckless Profligacy in public expenditures, as revealed in the 2025 Federal Budget for the provision of street lights.

The forum, in a statement issued by its national publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad Baba, said, ” A most perverse illustration of reckless profligacy of public expenditure has been the revelation about insertions, in the 2025 Federal budget, for the provision of streetlights at a staggering and unimaginable cost of over N260 million Naira each.

“That to date there has been no official denial of such crassly reckless and surreal insertions attests to the insensitivity of public officials and political representatives to the plight of ordinary Nigerians, whose living conditions continue to deteriorate all round (insufficiencies in or escalating costs of food, energy, health, educational opportunities, transportation, water supply, weak Naira, etc.), going by precedence, such budgetary insertions are replicated in various ways at state levels”.

He recalled that ACF observed existential challenges such as those a year ago. These are symptomatic of fundamental malaise in the political economy and call for urgent public policy attention.

He said, “Disappointingly, the ruling party at the centre is more obsessed with unprecedented early campaigns, defections to it and other manoeuvres for re-election in 2027, amidst putative celebrations of mid-term policy successes. Delusional hubris and head-in-the-sand claims continue to characterise pronouncements by officials charged with security responsibilities, in contrast to state governors’ cries on the ground in locations.

“Such obsessions and claims only ignore or give blind eyes to the populace’s possible mass disillusionment, despair, discontent, hopelessness and angst”.

The forum averred that Nigerians continue to endure and could even celebrate occasions such as the Eid, a testament to their admirable resilience, which should not be taken for granted while praising Nigerians for their resilience.

ACF asserted that the national challenges enumerated above can be overcome by entrenching the principles of good governance in public officials at the local, state, and federal levels. It called for continued prayers for Nigeria to achieve a peaceful, secure, vibrant, and prosperous country; all should continue to support Nigeria’s security agencies for their efforts in fighting criminality.