Senate makes U-turn on 2013 budget

Posted by admin Legislature, Senate Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

THE Senate reversed itself on the controversial 2013 amendment bill as it declared that it will, today, take a clause-by-clause consideration of the bill which scaled second reading at the plenary on Tuesday.

President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, also disclosed that the bill might be eventually passed into law after all the senators would have taken their positions on it, following the second reading of the bill, referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriation, which is expected to make legislative input and return it to the floor within the next 24 hours.

President Goodluck Jonathan had on March 14 transmitted the 2013 Amendment Budget proposal of N 4, 987, 220, 425, 601 to the National Assembly.

The sum comprised some capital projects allocations which were reduced and the which the executive sought National Assembly’s cooperation in restoring so as to promote national development.

The presidency, in a letter addressed to Senator Mark, listed some of the projects to include: Ministry of Works: “Abuja-Lokoja Road reduced by N4 billion; Kano-Maiduguri Road reduced by N3.5 billion; dualisation of Ibadan-Ilorin Section 2 reduced by N5.5 billion; Rehabilitation of Jebba Bridge reduced by N1.25 billion and dualisation of Obajana Junction to Benin reduced by N4 billion.

The presidency also took an exemption to the N9 billion allocated to Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE P) as against the initial N27billion.

“This cut will have the adverse effect of severely undermining our capacity to create the jobs needed for our teeming unemployed youths, women and physically challenged citizens. In this regard, I crave your cooperation to restore the SURE-P budget,” the president had said.

In a lead debate, Leader of the Senate, Victor Ndoma-Egba, who sought the support of his colleagues for an accelerated passage of the bill, said it sought to authorise the issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, the sum of N4.9 trillion.

A break down of the money include Statutory Transfer of N388,063,000,000; Debt Service of N591,764,000,000; Recurrent (non debt) expenditure of N2418,814,620,783 as well as contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure for the year ending December 31, 2013’ of N1,588,578,805,197.

Ndoma-Egba stated that the highlights of the categorised 2013 Budget Amendment cut across the expenditure categories which were designated as critical and important to the extent that some capital projects whose allocations were reduced in the previous amendment had been restored to promote national development.

Senators who contributed to the debate supported the passage of the bill to allow for development, argued that accepting to work on the amendment was not an indication that they have lost their power over budget appropriation.

Senator Abdul Ningi said there was need for mutual understanding among organs of government for growth and development, noting, “In government, all it takes is corporation and interface. It does not take away the power of National Assembly on appropriation. I therefore support the amendment.”

Senator George Akume, while supporting the passage of the bill, wondered if SURE-P actually taking care of youths as claimed, just as he maintained that the initial N9 billion appropriated to it was enough.

However, Senator Ita Enang was of the opinion that the bill, as it was returned, had removed the power of the National Assembly to superintend over budget.

“All the powers we insert in the budget, especially on our position on the excess crude account, has been removed. The committee should look into all these. I want to pray the Senate committee on SURE-P to look at the application of the fund,” he said.

Advising that the federal character principle should apply in the implementation of SURE P projects, Enang said, “If one section of the country does not benefit in one thing, it should benefit in other. Of all these money given to them so far, it has not been equitably distributed. We should use this opportunity to correct the imbalance in the distribution of allocation and projects.”

Senator Ayogu Eze, who shared the view that the power of the National Assembly was in no way affected by the amendment, also supported the call for the passage of the bill.

“Whenever there is this kind of argument, it does not mean we have signed away our powers. Some of the issues raised here are those that indict us. It is within our oversight function to call the executive to other when they are over-stepping their bounds.

“That is the reason we should set up the National Assembly budgetary office to enable us sit on the budgetary process by ourselves”, he said.

Senate spokesman, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of a closed-door session on the bill, said the lawmakers made a U-turn in view of the fact that every arms of government must work in concert to ensure the welfare of the people.

-Tribunewp_posts