Resolve Budget Impasse, Clergy Urges Presidency, N’Assembly

Paul Obi in Abuja

Abuja Regional Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Emmanuel Ibitayo on Saturday urged the Presidency and National Assembly to expedite action and quickly resolve the current impasse surrounding the 2016 Appropriation Act.

Ibitayo spoke to journalists on the state of the nation ahead of the Abuja Divine Encounter slated for May 16, a non-denominational service aimed at repositioning Nigeria as God’s own country.

According to the clergy, the current disagreement that has engulfed the 2016 budget affects all segments of Nigerian society; stressing that, the country also suffers from spiritual implication due to the delay in the signing of the budget.

“The spiritual implication of not passing the budget is that our divine allocation is hanging. Because in every budget, every state has an allocation, every individual has an allocation; every sector of the economy has an allocation.

“And if you refuse to pass the budget, then, our divine allocation, spiritually speaking, is hanging. We have a president who wants to be careful before he appends his signature, we are watching from afar. So both the Presidency and National Assembly must do something,” Ibitayo said.

He explained that though Nigerians are eager to witness the benefits of the government change mantra, change takes time, adding: “when you say change, change do not come overnight, everybody must be involved, I don’t want anybody to sign anything carelessly, because once you sign, it becomes a law.”
The clergyman also called for the diversification of the Nigerian economy as the only panacea to the prevailing economic crisis. “This is the time for us to diversify, we have dwelt so much on petroleum, and it is now time for us to look at agriculture. Let’s take our eyes from oil and concentrate on other things,” he stressed.