Kennedy Nsan|3 December 2017
There's been a floodgates of criticism of the Cross River State 2018 budget proposal online by many Cross Riverians. I think that the right answers are not being sought and the right questions are not being asked.
Before we criticize the budget and jump to conclusions, I'll like for us to demand to see the specific details of the previous and present budget. That is the 2017 budget of 'Deep Vision' and the 2018 budget of 'Kinetic Crystalization'.
Unfortunately, I can bet that most of the people criticizing the amount proposed have not seen a copy of the 2017 N301billion budget of 'Deep Vision' or this year's 1.3trillion budget of 'Kenetic Crystalization'.
For starters, can someone please avail us with soft copies of both budgets? A budget is a public document and should be in the public domain/public space.
So, can someone get a hold on both budgets and forward same to my mail? Or is there a Cross River State Government website where it can be gotten from?
If we can get the soft copies of the budget or even get the hard copies of both, we can then start a fruitful conversation around the deliverables.
Secondly, I think one of the most important question to be asking now is the level of implementation of the 2017 budget of 'Deep Vision' instead of a blanket criticism of the 2018 1.3trillion budget of 'Kinetic Crystalization'.
Which organizations for example or individuals are following up on the budget process and the implementation of previous budgets in Cross River State? What are the reports of these 'experts'?
This for me are the critical questions that we should be asking at this time rather than outright carpeting of the budget proposals for preconceived political capital.
The above questions in my objective reality are the things that should agitate our minds. However, it is okay to criticize the amount if you still want to do so but it is important also that we do so on the basis of knowledge.
Kennedy Nsan
Is a Social Commentator
