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Tag: budget implementation

  • Bridging the gaps in budget implementation

    Bridging the gaps in budget implementation

    By Tunde Rahman

    To state that there are gaps in the implementation of the 2024 and 2025 budgets is actually stating the obvious. One does not need to be an economist or an expert in fiscal matters to know this. Top government functionaries charged with budgetary matters have all made the point and confirmed that the budgets were not fully funded for apparent reasons. This admission reflects an attribute typically rare in government – transparency.

    In August, at a stakeholders’ engagement on the implementation of the 2025 capital budget and related issues in Abuja, Dr. Tanimu Yakubu, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, pointed out that the Federal Government was funding the capital component of the 2024 budget using revenue accruing under the 2025 Budget. He also noted that the 2025 revenue projections in the budget had been underperforming because the country had not met the oil production quota.

    Questions, therefore, arose in some quarters about the level of budget implementation. President Bola Tinubu’s announcement in August that the administration had met its 2025 non-oil revenue target even triggered more questions.  What then was the issue regarding budget implementation?

    It must be noted, however, that there are additional revenue sources for funding budgets beyond Internally-Generated Revenue. These include funding by development partners and foreign and domestic loans. If the IGR performs and there are gaps in other revenue sources, there could also be limitations in budget implementation. In that seemingly innocuous statement, President Tinubu was referring to the non-oil revenue component of the budget for the year.

    Following the below-par performance of the 2024 Budget, the National Assembly approved the rollover of the budget into 2025. The parliament later also approved the rollover of 70 percent of the 2025 capital projects into 2026.  Given this background of poor budget execution, some had suggested a holistic review of the budgeting process to upend the cycle of rollovers and non-implementation. Dr Muda Yusuf, the CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, among others, proposed that rather than discard projects that were approved but not implemented, it would be more prudent to consolidate outstanding projects, clear the accumulated backlog and re-present them within a more coherent and credible framework.

    Two weeks ago, President Tinubu moved decisively to address the implementation problems associated with the 2024 and 2025 budgets by using the practical template of the 2026 budget. Presenting the N58.18 trillion 2026 budget proposals to the National Assembly on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the President declared an end to budget rollovers and multiple budgets. Despite the challenges, the 2026 budget aligns well with the December-January budget cycle.

    Aptly titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity,” this new budget is essentially anchored on fiscal planning, discipline, resilience and sustainable development in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda. With the budget, President Tinubu plans to consolidate macroeconomic stability, improve the business and investment environment, promote job‑rich growth, reduce poverty and strengthen human capital development, while protecting the vulnerable.

    But rather than appreciate the government’s challenge, the courage demonstrated in accepting the fact of poor implementation of the budget and the firm resolve to correct the anomaly, the opposition African Democratic Congress took the notoriously mischievous route to upbraid President Tinubu. The party described the new budget and the government’s remedial plans as “a copy and paste” of previous years’ spending plans. The party’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said ADC’s economists reviewed the budget, claiming that “it reflects fiscal recklessness and unrealistic projections.” Propagating a doomsday theory, ADC opined that, like its predecessors, the 2026 Budget would end up as another unimplemented document.

    It is fair to argue that the 2025 budget faced the challenge of transition and competing execution demands. But presenting the 2026 Budget to the lawmakers, President Tinubu assured that the budgetary situation would be different this time. The President said: “As of Q3 2025, we recorded: 18.6 trillion naira in revenue — representing 61% of our target; and 24.66 trillion naira in expenditure — representing 60% of our target.

    “Let me be clear: 2026 will be a year of stronger discipline in budget execution. I have issued directives to the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Accountant‑General of the Federation, and the Director‑General of the Budget Office of the Federation to ensure that the 2026 Budget is implemented strictly in line with the appropriated details and timelines.

    “We expect improved revenue performance through the new National Tax Acts and the ongoing reforms in the oil and gas sector — reforms designed not merely to raise revenue, but to drive transparency, efficiency, fairness, and long‑term value in our fiscal architecture,” he added.

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    President Tinubu recognises the importance of fiscal guardrails, as evidenced by his clear directive to Government‑owned Enterprises and to the heads of all agencies to meet their assigned revenue targets.

    To support this, he said:  “An end‑to‑end digitisation of revenue mobilisation — standardised e‑collections, interoperable payment rails, automated reconciliation, data‑driven risk profiling, and real‑time performance dashboards — will be deployed so that leakages are sealed, compliance is verifiable, and remittances are prompt.”

    These targets, President Tinubu noted, will form core components of performance evaluations and institutional scorecards. “Nigeria can no longer afford leakages, inefficiencies, or underperformance in strategic agencies. Every institution must play its part.  In short: we will spend with purpose, manage debt with discipline, and pursue broad-based, sustainable growth.”

    These are grand plans and clear directives from President Tinubu. The National Assembly, too, has a vital role to play in ensuring the successful implementation of the 2026 budget. Many of the unimplemented projects in the 2025 Budget, for instance, were constituency projects, the brunt of which was borne by lawmakers who tended to allocate the jobs even when the projects had not been cash-backed. Beyond approving the 2026 appropriation, therefore, the lawmakers must show greater restraint and prudence in handling their constituency projects.

    The 2026 budget has other notable aspects. One, it re-presents a defining moment in the national journey of reform and transformation. The 2026 Budget, as President Tinubu said, “reflects the government’s determination to lock in macroeconomic stability, deepen competitiveness, and ensure that growth translates into decent jobs, rising incomes, and a better quality of life for every Nigerian.”

    Two, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the practical needs of Nigerians, the budget prioritises five critical sectors: defence and security – N5.41 trillion; infrastructure – N3.56 trillion; education – N3.52 trillion; and health – N2.48 trillion. As the President rightly said, these priorities are interlinked: “Without security, investment will not thrive. Without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale.”

    To all intents and purposes, the government has drawn appropriate lessons from the drawbacks of the 2024 and 2025 budgets. That is why the 2026 Budget is guided by three basic principles: better revenue mobilisation, better spending by prioritising projects, and better accountability through strengthened procurement discipline, monitoring, and reporting. There is a strong optimism that it will yield outcomes that benefit all, which hopefully the perennial cynics would acknowledge.

    •Rahman is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Special Duties.

  • Bridging the gaps in budget implementation

    Bridging the gaps in budget implementation

    By Tunde Rahman

    To state that there are gaps in the implementation of the 2024 and 2025 budgets is actually stating the obvious. One does not need to be an economist or an expert in fiscal matters to know this. Top government functionaries charged with budgetary matters have all made the point and confirmed that the budgets were not fully funded for apparent reasons. This admission reflects an attribute typically rare in government – transparency.

    In August, at a stakeholders’ engagement on the implementation of the 2025 capital budget and related issues in Abuja, Dr. Tanimu Yakubu, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, pointed out that the Federal Government was funding the capital component of the 2024 budget using revenue accruing under the 2025 Budget. He also noted that the 2025 revenue projections in the budget had been underperforming because the country had not met the oil production quota.

    Questions, therefore, arose in some quarters about the level of budget implementation. President Bola Tinubu’s announcement in August that the administration had met its 2025 non-oil revenue target even triggered more questions.  What then was the issue regarding budget implementation? 

    It must be noted, however, that there are additional revenue sources for funding budgets beyond Internally-Generated Revenue. These include funding by development partners and foreign and domestic loans. If the IGR performs and there are gaps in other revenue sources, there could also be limitations in budget implementation. In that seemingly innocuous statement, President Tinubu was referring to the non-oil revenue component of the budget for the year. 

    Following the below-par performance of the 2024 Budget, the National Assembly approved the rollover of the budget into 2025. The parliament later also approved the rollover of 70 percent of the 2025 capital projects into 2026.  Given this background of poor budget execution, some had suggested a holistic review of the budgeting process to upend the cycle of rollovers and non-implementation. Dr Muda Yusuf, the CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, among others, proposed that rather than discard projects that were approved but not implemented, it would be more prudent to consolidate outstanding projects, clear the accumulated backlog and re-present them within a more coherent and credible framework. 

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    Two weeks ago, President Tinubu moved decisively to address the implementation problems associated with the 2024 and 2025 budgets by using the practical template of the 2026 budget. Presenting the N58.18 trillion 2026 budget proposals to the National Assembly on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the President declared an end to budget rollovers and multiple budgets. Despite the challenges, the 2026 budget aligns well with the December-January budget cycle. 

    Aptly titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity,” this new budget is essentially anchored on fiscal planning, discipline, resilience and sustainable development in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda. With the budget, President Tinubu plans to consolidate macroeconomic stability, improve the business and investment environment, promote job‑rich growth, reduce poverty and strengthen human capital development, while protecting the vulnerable.

    But rather than appreciate the government’s challenge, the courage demonstrated in accepting the fact of poor implementation of the budget and the firm resolve to correct the anomaly, the opposition African Democratic Congress took the notoriously mischievous route to upbraid President Tinubu. The party described the new budget and the government’s remedial plans as “a copy and paste” of previous years’ spending plans. The party’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said ADC’s economists reviewed the budget, claiming that “it reflects fiscal recklessness and unrealistic projections.” Propagating a doomsday theory, ADC opined that, like its predecessors, the 2026 Budget would end up as another unimplemented document.

    It is fair to argue that the 2025 budget faced the challenge of transition and competing execution demands. But presenting the 2026 Budget to the lawmakers, President Tinubu assured that the budgetary situation would be different this time. The President said: “As of Q3 2025, we recorded: 18.6 trillion naira in revenue — representing 61% of our target; and 24.66 trillion naira in expenditure — representing 60% of our target.

    “Let me be clear: 2026 will be a year of stronger discipline in budget execution. I have issued directives to the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Accountant‑General of the Federation, and the Director‑General of the Budget Office of the Federation to ensure that the 2026 Budget is implemented strictly in line with the appropriated details and timelines.

    “We expect improved revenue performance through the new National Tax Acts and the ongoing reforms in the oil and gas sector — reforms designed not merely to raise revenue, but to drive transparency, efficiency, fairness, and long‑term value in our fiscal architecture,” he added.

    President Tinubu recognises the importance of fiscal guardrails, as evidenced by his clear directive to Government‑owned Enterprises and to the heads of all agencies to meet their assigned revenue targets.

    To support this, he said:  “An end‑to‑end digitisation of revenue mobilisation — standardised e‑collections, interoperable payment rails, automated reconciliation, data‑driven risk profiling, and real‑time performance dashboards — will be deployed so that leakages are sealed, compliance is verifiable, and remittances are prompt.”

    These targets, President Tinubu noted, will form core components of performance evaluations and institutional scorecards. “Nigeria can no longer afford leakages, inefficiencies, or underperformance in strategic agencies. Every institution must play its part.  In short: we will spend with purpose, manage debt with discipline, and pursue broad-based, sustainable growth.”

    These are grand plans and clear directives from President Tinubu. The National Assembly, too, has a vital role to play in ensuring the successful implementation of the 2026 budget. Many of the unimplemented projects in the 2025 Budget, for instance, were constituency projects, the brunt of which was borne by lawmakers who tended to allocate the jobs even when the projects had not been cash-backed. Beyond approving the 2026 appropriation, therefore, the lawmakers must show greater restraint and prudence in handling their constituency projects.

    The 2026 budget has other notable aspects. One, it re-presents a defining moment in the national journey of reform and transformation. The 2026 Budget, as President Tinubu said, “reflects the government’s determination to lock in macroeconomic stability, deepen competitiveness, and ensure that growth translates into decent jobs, rising incomes, and a better quality of life for every Nigerian.”

    Two, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the practical needs of Nigerians, the budget prioritises five critical sectors: defence and security – N5.41 trillion; infrastructure – N3.56 trillion; education – N3.52 trillion; and health – N2.48 trillion. As the President rightly said, these priorities are interlinked: “Without security, investment will not thrive. Without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale.”

    To all intents and purposes, the government has drawn appropriate lessons from the drawbacks of the 2024 and 2025 budgets. That is why the 2026 Budget is guided by three basic principles: better revenue mobilisation, better spending by prioritising projects, and better accountability through strengthened procurement discipline, monitoring, and reporting. There is a strong optimism that it will yield outcomes that benefit all, which hopefully the perennial cynics would acknowledge.

    • Rahman is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Special Duties.

  • Senators accuse Executive of poor budget implementation

    Senators accuse Executive of poor budget implementation

    • ‘MDAs got N336b’

    SENATORS yesterday alleged that this year’s budget has been poorly implemented. They spoke of the dire financial and economic consequences of the poor implementation.

    The lawmakers observed that with three months to the end of the year, only about 10 per cent of the N7.4 trillion budget estimate had been implemented.

    Worried by the trend, the senators invited Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and Budget and Planning Minister Udoma Udo Udoma to explain why the government had failed to release funds.

    Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (APC Kebbi), who sponsored the motion entitled “Stabilising and sustaining post-recession growth of the economy”, insisted that the level of harmony between the government’s fiscal and monetary policies was very low.

    He complained that the government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had spent about $9 billion to stabilise the naira.

    The Senate urged the managers of the economy to avoid a relapse into recession by remaining focused and ensuring that the marginal growth of 0.55 per cent is built upon in the months ahead.

    The lawmakers stressed the urgency for fiscal and monetary authorities to harmonise their policies, with a view to drastically reducing the prohibitive interest rate that has adversely affected borrowing for investment in the real sector.

    They also urged the authorities to reduce the the accumulated domestic debt to free the market for better access by private sector operators.

    Senator Barau Jibril Barau (APC, Kano) demanded that the managers be put on their toes, adding that they appeared too complacent.

    Barau added that failure to release appropriated funds posed serious threats to the economy.

    Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) accused the managers of merely joggling figures.

    Melaye said: ”If it is true that the foreign reserve has grown from $25 billion to $34 billion, why are we incapacitated in funding the 2017 budget?

    “We must go back to the drawing board and take key decisions. We must engage in massive production and we must engage in massive spending too.

    What we have done is not a genuine approach to addressing the problem of the economy and getting out of recession.”

    Senator Biodun Olujumi (PDP, Ekiti) observed that the country was out of recession only in technical terms.

    Olujimi noted that barely three months to the end of the year, implementation of the 2017 budget remained at less than 10 per cent.

    Senator Gbenga Ashafa (APC Lagos East) stressed the need for the government to make budgetary releases to stimulate the economy.

    He was concerned that since the 2017 Appropriation Act came to being, only about N310 billion had been released by the Federal Government to Ministries, Departments and Agencies as funding for capital projects.

    To him, this is far too low to stimulate the economy and address pressing challenges.

    Ashafa recalled that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele canvassed the urgent need to reflate the economy during the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of the bank on July 25.

    Ashafa’s motion noted that the livelihood of millions of Nigerians was directly tied to the funding of the national budget and execution of projects.

    The senator insisted that the more the projects executed, the more the chances of millions of Nigerians getting engaged at various levels of the employment value chain.

     

  • Senate to NPA: enthrone transparency in budget implementation

    Senate to NPA: enthrone transparency in budget implementation

    THE Senate Committee on Marine Transport has urged the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to promote transparency in the implementation of its budget.

    The committee, led by its chairman, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, said the members were at the NPA to carry out their oversight function.

    According him, the committee members were at the authority to see that the agency performs optimally and not to witch-hunt anybody.

    Yerima directed the NPA to ensure that any agreement it signed on behalf of the Federal Government was in tandem with the constitution.

    The former governor said the NPA’s Managing Director and the three Executive Directors must work and comply with the rules and regulations guiding their appointment to promote trade.

    The senators, while assuring them of their support in promoting businesses at ports, urged the NPA to always promote the trade facilitation programme of the Federal Government.

    NPA Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman told  the senators she would build on the existing relationship between her agency and the Senate.

    She assured the committee that the NPA management would carry out its responsibilities diligently and transparently.

    She assured them of providing vital information that would enable them succeed in carrying out their responsibilities.

    During their visit to the Lekki Deep Sea port, the senators faulted the non-inclusion of railway in the port’s master plan and directed them to do so to avoid the experience of Nigerians from Apapa gridlock.

    The Senate committee chairman, apart from urging the promoters of the port to fashion out the plan to evacuate cargoes from the port without necessarily using the road, told them to come up with a community social responsibility (CSR) programme to stem youth restiveness in the area.

    Over $78 million, the promoters said, had been spent on the project.

  • ‘Govt ‘ll fast-track budget implementation’

    ‘Govt ‘ll fast-track budget implementation’

    Efforts will be made to fast-track the procurement process so as to enhance speedy implementation of  2016 Budget, vice President Yemi  Osinbajo has said

    Osinbajo, who gave the assurance during a meeting with a delegation from the House of Representatives’ Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, assured the members of the Committee that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration will ensure that the process of privatisation is undertaken diligently.

    Members of the Committee,  led by its Chairman, Hon Ahmed Yerima, had requested among other things, that the Executive arm of government should inaugurate the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) so as to speed up privatisation issues because government is not meant to be engaged in the business of doing business.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said that fast-tracking is important where necessary, including the procurement process regarding the 2016 Budget.

    According to him, the current procurement period is  too long.

    He also noted that the Presidency would work with the National Assembly to fast-track pending relevant bills including the Competition Bill to further clarify government’s economic direction for investors and other business interests.

    While government agreed that the privatisation process ought to be taken seriously by all concerned, he said government ought not to be involved in running businesses,

    He said investors and business owners who take over public enterprises should run them based on agreed terms.

    The Vice President said once a sale is completed, the business should keep the terms of the agreement even if there is a “downturn.”

    He said government would always approach the issues of additional concessions after the sale cautiously, and not allow itself to come under undue pressure, saying “we should all take the privatisation process seriously.”

    On the inauguration of the NCP, Prof. Osinbajo said the matter is being duly considered by the Presidency.

  • Senate debates budget implementation

    Senate debates budget implementation

    The Senate yesterday resolved to debate the overall implementation of the 2013 budget today.

    This resolution followed a Point of Order raised by Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central).

    Ningi, who invoked Order 42 of the Senate dealing with personal explanation, drew the attention of his colleagues to a publication, which quoted the executive to have declared the 2013 budget as “unimplementable.”

    Ningi faulted the thrust of the report.

    He noted that contrary to the claim of the executive that the 2013 oil benchmark of $79 per barrel was over-bloated, the oil prices have remained high.

    The lawmaker said he felt concerned because the budget dealt with the welfare of Nigerians and should be so treated.

    He said as far as he was concerned, the country’s economy had been stable.

    He insisted that contrary to the claim of government that the oil benchmark was over-bloated, oil price had not fallen below projection.

    The Senate said oil price in the international market had remained $107 per barrel.

    He prayed the Senate to slate full discussion of the implementation of the budget for today.

    Senate President David Mark agreed that there was need to discuss the implementation of the budget today.

    He said: “I have not read the publication and whatever was attributed to the Minister of State for Finance.

    “But I have no problem with discussing the current level of implementation of the budget.”

    When Mark put the question to the lawmakers, they unanimously agreed to discuss the implementation today.

  • Photo: Reps, Finance Ministry meet on budget implementation

    Photo: Reps, Finance Ministry meet on budget implementation

  • Furore over budget implementation, constituency projects

    Furore over budget implementation, constituency projects

    The protracted feud between the Presidency and the National Assembly over the inclusion of the constituency projects in the budget may stall its final passage and implementation. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN writes.

    The frosty relationship between the Presidency and the National Assembly on the amendment of the 2013 Appropriation Act has deepened. Experts warn that it is not in the interest of this financial year.

    The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that government would not be able to pay salaries by September, if the legislature failed to resolve the lingering impasse.

    Four months ago, President Goodluck Jonathan had forwarded a bill seeking to amend the 2013 budget of N4.987 trillion to the National Assembly, an act which the lawmakers rejected.The delay over the amendment had prompted the minister to issue the warning.

    The Presidency had accused the National Assembly of removing some capital votes from the initial proposed amendments, thereby making the execution of such projects impossible.

    In the new proposal, President Jonathan indicated new changes across the expenditure categories. He also sought to restore the original budgetary allocations of some capital projects “to promote national development”. Some of the affected the projects include the projects under the Ministries of Works, Health, Power, Transport and Education in budgetary allocation for projects under the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P).

    The President advised the National Assembly, to reverse itself on the zero 2013 budget allocation for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    He also drew the attention of the law makers to the fact that the personnel cost, cut across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), which will make it difficult for the government to meet its obligation to its workers.

    Why the delay?

    There is no end in sight to the lingering face off between the executive and the legislature over the budget implementation. The leadership of the National Assembly is furious that the amendment sought by the President is just a disguise for the lawmakers to rework the 2013 budget. The lawmakers have vowed to resist the move, more so, when the heads of some MDAs have confided in some committee chairmen that they are implementing the directives from the Budget Office and not the budget passed by the National Assembly.

    The executive is not happy with the legislators for dragging their feet over the amendment it sought on the 2013 budget. It noted with dismay that, four months after the budget was returned, the National Assembly is yet to commence deliberation.

    However, the National Assembly has exonerated itself. Senator Babafemi Ojudu (ACN, Ekiti Central) told The Nation in an interview that the copies of the bill have not been distributed to members. He said: “It is true that Mr President had written the National Assembly to that effect and the letter was read on the floor of the National Assembly, but the bill has not been made available to the members.

    “We have to get copies so that we can study the president’s new proposal in the bill. We can’t consider a bill that we have not seen. How do we scrutinise and contribute to the debate on the bill. It’s not possible. There is a protocol that must be followed”.

    The Senate spokesman, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia State), explained that the delay over the amendment bill was due to its volume. According to him, the third budget amendment proposal sent by Dr. Jonathan to the Senate was more voluminous than the original 2013 budget document, adding that, as a result of the size of the new proposal, the Senate could not deliberate on it, until the senators return from their annual vacation in September. The vacation begins in August.

    Abaribe said: “If there are differences, we shall discuss with the President in order to thrash them out. The President cannot expect us to pass the proposal without looking into the voluminous documents”.

    On the accusation by the Presidency that the National Assembly removed some capital votes from the initial proposed amendments, Abaribe said it was impossible to pass a budget as submitted to the National Assembly.

    In a move to kick-start work on the amendment, it was learnt that the Senate President, David Mark, mandated Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba to meet with the Committees on Appropriation, Finance and Special Duties. The meeting was reportedly held on April 22.

    Sources close to the committees disclosed that there was no headway on the budget. “After briefing the Senate Leader, it was concluded that what the President wanted was not just an amendment of the budget, but a re-working of the budget,” the source said.

    According to the source, the meeting concluded that the Senateannot do that because it is on record that the President signed the 2013 budget on February 24 although the National Assembly forwarded it to him on January 30.

    To re-work a budget already passed and signed by the president is strange to us, Ojudu remarked. “It has never happened. Any way when we start deliberation on the amendment bill, Nigerians would know our position”, he added.

    Senator Aloy Etuk (PDP, Akwa Ibom) said it is wrong for the executive to ask for a fresh approval of the whole budget. Etuk opines that the President could make a request for amendment or alteration of certain things or present a supplementary budget. “But not to ask for a fresh approval of the whole budget already signed into law by Mr President himself. That is wrong. It’s never done,” he added.

    Constituency projects funds withheld

    The law makers are angry over the non-release of N100 billion meant for the constituency projects . They are unhappy that the first and second quarter allocations for the projects have not been released. It has been alleged that the Finance Minister is withholding the release of the funds for the constituency projects as a pre-condition for fast tracking the amendment to 2013 budget.

    A member of the National Assembly who doesn’t want his name in print said warned the executive to stop blackmailing the legislators on constituency projects funds, saying that it is a statutory allocation, and not a favour.

    According to him, the issues concerning the constituency projects had been settled as far back as 2008. The issue of our constituency projects being in the budget was settled during the administration of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, he said. He recalled that, in 2008, the late president returned the budget where he demanded an amendment and part of the resolution then was that there would be a threshold for constituency projects for the National Assembly members of which N100 billion was agreed upon.

    The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts Hon Solomon Adeola, (ACN Alimoso , Lagos), said it was wrong for the executive to withhold the allocations meant for Constituency projects believing that such action would make the legislators do their biddings. The provision for the constituency projects was approved just like other headings in the budget signed by the president. We are in the third quarter of the financial year, the executive in its wisdom thought that constituency projects are irrelevant, hence, it has refused to release funds for the first and second quarters for the projects.”

    Adeola wondered why the Presidency is sitting over the funds. According to him: “We lawmakers don’t award contracts for constituency projects. We don’t recommend contractors. That is the business of the executive. Our responsibility is to monitor the execution of the projects, to ensure service delivery. The motive behind constituency projects is to guarantee even development so that people all over the country would feel government presence in their localities”.

    On his part, Etuk said withholding the constituency project funds by the executive is very wrong. His words: It is a very wrong idea. Whatever is in the budget must be implemented, it is a law, it must be obeyed. Selective implementation is a violation of Appropriation Act. The constituency project is part of what we promised our people, Ojudu said, adding, that is the benefit of those who elected us. He said: “We legislators don’t take money meant for this project, neither do we award contracts. It is the executive that awards contracts and select contractors. Ours is to ensure that projects approved for constituencies are executed because that is what the people we represent would benefit from government.

    Apparently defending the withholding of constituency projects fund, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPE), Mr Emeka Nze, said most projects awarded in the past were without proper designs adding that the present government says this can’t continue.

    Eze said part of global requirement was that public funds should be properly scrutinised while the law requires open competitive bidding. So with the directives of Mr President, by the end of October, virtually all projects would have been completed, he said.

    Asked if the National Assembly delaying action on the Amendment bill to hoodwink the executive into releasing the allocations for constituency projects, Ojudu said it was not true. “The National Assembly would not because of that abdicate its responsibilities. But for the reason I gave earlier that copies of the Amended bill have not been distributed to members of the National Assembly, we would have commenced deliberation on it,” he added.