Liborous Oshoma says rising allocations mean little without planning, jobs, infrastructure and reliable public utilities for citizens nationwide.

Lawyer Liborous Oshoma has criticised the disconnect between rising government revenues and worsening living conditions for many Nigerians, arguing that the economic gains being recorded by government have not translated into improved welfare for citizens.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Friday, Oshoma said government at all levels appeared to be benefiting from an economic windfall while ordinary Nigerians continued to struggle with rising hardship and declining quality of life.

“So there’s so much money in the hands of government while at the same time you are living an economic boom. The government is living an economic boom. So they tell you of giving your people more money,” he said.

Oshoma argued that the challenge was not necessarily a shortage of funds but a failure of planning and long term thinking among public officials despite increased allocations to states following recent economic reforms.

“Where the gap is, there’s a knowledge gap. There’s a knowledge gap. The commissioner that just left here talked about projects and gestation period. What we have, governors who are not thinking.”

He added, “There is no knowledge. There’s no deep thinking of how do we ensure that we build infrastructures that will protect the future? How do we create jobs that will take people off the street so that we don’t just end up taxing them, but we also ensure that they are able to pay taxes.”

The lawyer warned against expanding the tax net without first addressing the underlying economic realities facing citizens.

“You don’t just drag people into the tax net when more than half of them are not able to pay.”

Oshoma also lamented what he described as the decline of public utilities and social infrastructure, saying governments had increasingly shifted responsibility for essential services onto citizens.

“Today, you know, we no longer discuss pipeline water. We just believe that people can buy pure water, bottled water. Nobody is discussing public utilities.”

According to him, increased federal allocations to states should be accompanied by investments that create jobs, protect future generations and improve living standards rather than merely increasing government spending.

“When you look at it from those metrics, you will see that there is indeed a knowledge gap,” he said. (Arise News)

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