The expenditure of N968 billion by governors on entertainment is disgraceful.
At a time such as the one Nigerians are wading through now, governments as the representatives of the people are supposed to be at their best in the prudential management of resources. However, this does not appear to be so with the governments at the state level. The latest clear indication of this is the revelation that together, the 36 state governors in the country spent as much as N968 billion on entertainment in just three months. This comes down to N322.6 billion being spent by these sub-nationals within a month on non-essentials.
This amount, if well spent, can make a difference in the lives of ordinary Nigerians. For instance, it can be used to provide a certain number of boreholes so that people in rural communities can have access to cleaner water.
It can be used to support primary and secondary education in their respective states. Specifically, it can be used to tackle the rising problem of out-of-school children, which presents a potent challenge for Nigeria's future.
No, nobody considered any of these possibilities when the funds were being frittered away in unconscionable revelry for a few amid pain and hunger for the majority.
To think that this took place when ordinary Nigerians face a myriad of problems, especially hunger, is almost imponderable. Hunger is one of the basic needs that most sane and organised societies have done everything possible to banish from among their people.
Let us remind the state governors of what this time means to Nigerians. It is a time when a 50-kg bag of rice costs about N72,000; a paint bucket of beans sells for N8,000; a basket of tomatoes (the one everyone knows) sells for between N120,000 and N140,000.