Senate Gives Condition to Pass 2011 Budget

Posted by admin Legislature, Senate Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

The 2011 Appropriation Bill scaled the second reading at the Senate yesterday, even as Senate President David Mark warned that the budget would not be approved until government’s budgetary proposals for federal parastatals, departments and agencies are forwarded to the National Assembly.
After an exhaustive debate, the Senate referred the appropriation bill to its committee on appropriation, which is expected to submit its report to the plenary within four weeks.
Mark observed that the parastatals were in the habit of generating funds and expending them without recourse to the National Assembly for necessary approval.

He said: “We will not go ahead to approve this budget unless all those parastatals bring their submissions.”
A hint that the National Assembly was spoiling for a showdown with the Federal Government over the 2011 budget was dropped by House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole last Wednesday shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan presented the Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the assembly.

Giving the vote of thanks at the end of the session, Bankole had said the details of the budgets of some 31 Federal Government agencies including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) among others must be sent to the National Assembly before the lawmakers would commence any legislative work on the 2011 budget.
In his remark to round off debates on the general principles of the 2011 budget at yesterday’s plenary, Mark said: “There is no way in which they (the Federal Government agencies) can be carrying on generating revenue and spending it the way they want as if they are running a government of their own. We cannot have a government within a government.”

By virtue of the Fiscal Responsibility Act passed by the National Assembly early this year, all government corporations, agencies and parastatals are mandated to submit their budget estimates to the Ministry of Finance and “the ministry shall cause the estimates submitted in pursuance to Section 21(2) of the Act to be attached as part of the Appropriation Bill to be submitted to the National Assembly”.

Mark remarked that all government expenditures must be approved by the two chambers of the National Assembly and that “all the parastatals particularly those who supervise (ministries) must make sure that budgets are brought here on time”.
The Senate President, however, took a swipe at his colleagues whom he blamed for not effectively carrying out their oversight functions in ensuring effective implementation of the 2010 Budget.
He blamed the lapses in budget implementation over the years on the complacency of the National Assembly committees and warned that this scenario would continue unless the federal lawmakers wake up to their responsibilities of ensuring that approvals are implemented to the letter.

He said: “The first problem of course with the budget year in year out is the implementation. If we can implement 75 per cent of our annual budget, certainly we will not be complaining the way we are complaining now.
“So, whatever it is. It does not matter how beautiful the budget is on paper, if we cannot translate it to the reality on ground, it is just as good as no budget at all and that is where I think we come in.
“Our various oversight functions must ensure that budgets are properly implemented. We also have to share in this blame when budget are not implemented, we do not bring them to the floor here.

“We become a part and parcel of the problem with the Executive; but I think we must ensure that the 2011 budget is fully implemented. If it is one kobo that is there, the one kobo should be spent in the way it is spelt out in the budget not on paper.”
Meanwhile, the Senate President has reconstituted the communication committee under the chairmanship of Senator Patrick Osakwe (PDP, Delta) with Senator Kabiru Gaya (ANPP, Kano ) as vice-chairman.

Members of the committee included Senators Odion Ugbesia (PDP, Edo Central), Yisa Braimoh (PDP, Edo North), Atiku Abubakar, Nuhu Aliyu (PDP, Niger ), Sulaiman Nazif, Patricia Akwashiki (PDP, Nasarawa), Abubakar Dada, Abubakar Argungu, Tanko Ayuba, Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu) and Abdulaziz Usman.
Braimoh was vice-chairman of the committee hitherto headed by Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, until its dissolution in September as a result of poor performance.

Minor changes were also carried out in some other committees including those of Local and Foreign Debts, Integration and Cooperation, Works, Education, Aviation, Science and Technology, Special Duties and Police Affairs.
Senator Ehigie Uzamere (ACN, Edo) remains Chairman of Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, while Senator George Akume (PDP, Benue ) was reassigned from his Chairmanship of Integration and Cooperation to Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts.

Other minor changes included: Works –Senator Anyim Ude (PDP, Ebonyi) takes over as Chairman, Committee on Works. Senator Uche Chukwumerije (PDP, Abia) is the new chairman, Senate Committee on Education, while Senator Sylvester Anyanwu (PDP, Imo) is redeployed to head the Aviation Committee.wp_posts