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Tag: #Budget2016

  • How to capture public interest in budget – Tambuwal

    How to capture public interest in budget – Tambuwal

    The Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal on Monday called for the amendment of the Nigerian constitution ‘to make President submit his proposals at least three months before the end of the preceding financial year.

    The former lawmaker also noted that as soon as Appropriation Committees get hold of the budget they should immediately hold public hearings for various public groups

    According to a tweet from the spokesperson for the Governor, Imam Imam, “Budget inclusiveness should not only pertain to members of NASS, but should include other arms of government, Chief Secusrity Officers, labour, and others.

    His words: “If more stakeholders gain greater insight into the budget process, there will be less attrition and mistrust between the arms of government.

    “One of the problems we have is the near absence of planning in our budgetary process. Our planning/ budget is executed without zeal and passion and it is similarly implemented without much national commitment.

    “Everyone should contribute at every budget stage: preparation, passage, implementation, supplementary or amendment stages. Wide consultations will eventually lead to a document that has inputs from the Nigerian society.

    “It is better if the National Assembly (NASS) gets some kind of time frame within which it is expected to finish deliberations and return the budget.

    “For the budget process to become harmonious, less turbulent, and implementable, all stakeholders must collaborate.”

  • Senate receives 2016 budget, AGF audit reports

    Senate receives 2016 budget, AGF audit reports

    The Senate on Monday received the 2016 budget and the 2014 Auditor-General of the Federation audit reports.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, presented the 2016 budget report marked “2016 Appropriation Bill, 2016 (SB.212).

    The report was not debated and no date was assigned for its debate and passage into law.

    Insiders however said that the budget is likely to be passed Wednesday.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Babajide Omoworare, had assured on Monday that the controversial 2016 budget report would be laid on Tuesday.

    The Osun East lawmaker said that the report blights in the fiscal document had been cleaned up by the National Assembly.

    Also, the Senate received the annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

    Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume presented the report entitled “Accounts of the Federation of Nigeria.”

    Ndume asked the Senate to “receive the Annual  Report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the accounts of the Federation of Nigeria for the year ended 31st December, 2014 in accordance with section 85(2) and (5) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    The weighty report, submitted to the National Assembly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, indicted several ministries, departments and agencies including the National Assembly management.

    The report claimed that more than N3.3 trillion was misappropriated by the MDAs and the National Assembly.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, had assured that the Senate will investigate every bit of the audit report.

    Abdullahi told reporters in Abuja that consideration of the audit report is part of the statutory function of the parliament.

    He said that the exposures in the audit report are queries raised by the Auditor General which cannot be conclusively classified as fraudulent acts until proven by investigation.

    He added that the queries raised in the report by the Auditor General are not necessarily indictment.

    The Senate Committee on Public Account, he said, would dig into the report, invite those queried to ask for clarification before coming to conclusion.

    He said that the Eight Senate had elected to make the difference by painstakingly considering the report to establish the veracity of the report.

    He asked Nigerians to wait and see what the Senate would make out of the audit report.

    He said: “The Eight Senate has chosen to be different as we have stated severally since we came on board and for which we came up with our legislative agenda to make us different from the past because we are in the season and period of change and we want to seriously key in to that.

    “Along that line, you could see the courage that we have to make some differences from what has obtained in the past and to this note, we have passed reports of some committees like the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which is a classical example.

    “Through that exercise, we were able to save the country, N7billion. There are similar works that has been done.

    “We want to say that since we have chosen to be different, we urge Nigerians to wait and see what we will make out of the investigation.

    “Without holding forth for the past assemblies, I want to say that it is not as if they did not do anything about the past Audit Reports.

    “But perhaps they have not taken their action up to the scale that would have made a huge impact that people want to see. If that is what the Auditor – General means, I agree with him.

    “The Auditor – General is raising a query, it is not an indictment. So when he raises his queries, the essence of the Public Accounts Committee is to invite those parties involved in the query and through the instruments of their own work, investigate all the issues by seeking for clarification and at the end of the day, where they have infractions, or infringement on certain procedures, they met out appropriate sanctions as stipulated by extant rules and regulations.

    “When there is a process and someone has done one part, until we conclusively finish that process, it will be wrong to accuse anyone of being guilty.

    “These are administrative procedures and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has made it clear that we would take oversight functions far more serious than what it used to be in the past.

    “If oversight functions are carried out properly, some of these queries that we talk about will begin to reduce because the essence is to see infractions before they happen.

    “We as lawmakers will stop it before another institution discovers the anomalies and bring them to our notice.

    “These are the powers of the National Assembly through oversight functions. We are committed to ensuring that a thorough job is done this time.

    “We have demonstrated our capacity to match our words with our actions. Wait and see, it is a promise and we have four years to prove that we mean business.”

    Also on Tuesday the Senate received report of the conference committee on Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Owan Enoh prayed the Senate to receive the report of the conference committee on the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

    The consideration and adoption of the MTEF and FSP pave the way for the passage of the Appropriation Bill.

    After the receipt of the reports, the Senate adjourned plenary in honour of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Musa Baba Onwana, Nasarawa/Toro Federal Constituency, Nasarawa State, who died last week.

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  • Saraki speaks on Success of 2016 Budget

    Saraki speaks on Success of 2016 Budget

    The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday said if the 2016 Budget is going to be realistic and successful, emphasis should be on the non oil and independent revenue generating sources.

    The Senate President said this while answering questions from Senate Correspondents after commissioning the newly upgraded and refurbished Senate Press Centre at the National Assembly in Abuja.

    Saraki said that the eighth Senate will focus attention on the revenue generating areas and to ensure that all leakages are blocked.

    Speaking in a statement signed by Sanni Onogu, Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Saraki stated that though the 2016 budget proposal is ambitious but it can be achieved if all that is necessary to make it work is put in place.

    When asked if the 2016 budget is implementable in view of the dwindling price of crude oil at the international market, Saraki said: “I think this is one of the reasons why we are having the MDAs defend their proposals before the Committees to be able to test some of the scenarios and some of the assumptions, particularly on the revenue side. if you look at the revenue, out of about N3.8trillion, N3trillion is coming from non-oil and independent revenue.

    “The success of the budget, in my own view is less on the benchmark. It is more on those two items – non-oil revenue and independent revenue – and that is why we directed our Committee on Finance and other relevant Committees to really scrutinize the revenue side.

    “Even the Senate leadership intends to also engage with the ministries as well to really check those two lines, because that is really where the questions come on whether it is achievable. Before we put our signature to it, we need to be sure that those funds are there.

    “I believe they are ambitious but it is a good sign, because it begins to make us less dependent on oil. Because if N830billion is coming from oil revenue and it is only 23%.

    So, even if the price of oil goes down or up, we are not really so much vulnerable than that of the time oil revenue was accounting for 70 of our revenue. From that point of view, I believe that once we can do that, it is achievable,” he said.

    The Senate President also advised the executive to put a proper plan in place for implementing the budget now that the National Assembly is working to pass it in record time.

    He said the National Assembly would soon amend the Public Procurement Act to facilitate quick implementation of the budget.

    “But also talking about being achievable or implementable, already, some of the things we are going to look at and which we are going to advise the executive on is that while we are working on the budget now, they too should also start making a plan on how to implement the budget because what tends to happen is that even after we have passed a budget, the administration or its bureaucracy sometimes makes the budget difficult to be realisable.

    “And two areas: one is looking at the procurement process and it is very likely that we will need to come out with an amendment bill as regards to certain areas of the procurement law. That is something that we are likely to come out with very soon. People are looking at that now to see again how we can assist the executive to see that the budget is implementable,” he said.

    On the need for transparency and openness in the National Assembly budget, Saraki said: “On the issue of National Assembly, I think I’ve kept on repeating this many times. If you remember, even during the time the leadership was constituted, one of the issues that came forward was that we will have an open and transparent Eight Senate and I still want to be held to that.

    “Also during this process, of course, National Assembly budget too will also be debated and by the time the final document is out, I can assure you that we are going to move away from the time of one line item for the National Assembly to a National Assembly where there will be a break down according to different sections of the institution.”

    While commenting on the remodeled and refurbished Senate Press Centre, Saraki said the 8th Senate is poised to leave a good legacy behind in all aspects of the National Assembly.

    He said: “It (upgraded Senate Press Centre) signifies a commitment that we all see that in the Eight Senate, we will ensure that every aspect, we are poised to do things differently. We will try and improve on what we met and I hope by the time we finish our tenure, we would have left the Senate better than we met it.”

    Earlier, Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the Press Centre was refurbished to create a befitting working environment for journalists reporting the activities of the Senate.

    Abdullahi said: “What we have done here with your magnanimous support, we have turned this place around so that when we come here to speak to Nigerians about the Senate, let Nigerians see that the environment we are doing it is befitting of that institution.”

    In his response, Vice Chairman of the Senate Press Corps, Shagari Sumbo thanked the leadership of the Senate for improving on the Senate Press Centre and making it more conducive for the Correspondents to carry out their assignments.

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  • Full text of Saraki’s Speech at 2016 budget presentation

    Full text of Saraki’s Speech at 2016 budget presentation

    ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR (DR.) ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI TO THE JOINT SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE 2016 DRAFT APPROPRIATION BILL BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT MOHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.

    Protocol:
    It is my pleasure on behalf of my Distinguished and Honourable colleagues to warmly welcome you and your entourage to this joint session of the National Assembly.

    Mr. President, your coming to this hallowed chamber in person today to present the 2016 draft Appropriation Bill, bears eloquent testimony to your profound respect and commitment to the ideals of our constitutional democracy and the dictate of the rule of law.

    This is the first time in a few years that the President of Nigeria has personally performed this constitutional task. It highlights the importance you have attached to building a smooth working relationship with the National Assembly. This is a positive gesture that is not lost on all of us.

    Mr. President, the National Assembly is acutely aware of the challenges we face today as a nation both in terms of the economy and security. In addition to this, the price of oil is at a 7 year low and the dwindling government revenue consequently.

    This notwithstanding, in order to meet with the aspirations of Nigerians across all works of life, we expect that the budget must de-emphasis recurrent expenditure and prioritize the upgrade of infrastructure in order to achieve economic recovery and generate employment for our teeming population.

    The 2016 budget must also be bold and pragmatic in providing transparent incentives and conducive environment that will prime private sector-led development, encourage local production and promote made-in Nigeria goods.

    Mr. President, the National Assembly is conscious of the yearning of Nigerians for quick delivery of democracy dividends. The National Assembly has a critical role to play and we recognize this role. On the budget we are willing and ready to provide the scrutiny necessary to pass only a budget that can be implemented comprehensively to the letter. We are ready to move swiftly and speedily to pass the 2016 Appropriation Bill.

    The swift passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper already points to our commitment and resolve towards this. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all my colleagues in the Senate and the House for their steadfastness and patriotism in this area. We will apply same but in the light of the great importance of this document we will not short-circuit scrutiny on the altar of expediency.

    I acknowledge that the task of implementing the budget is primarily that of the Executive. But our recent experience has shown that even with the best of intentions, too much discretionary powers over budget matters are inimical to accountability. It is also true that impunity and corruption thrive best when the democratic safeguards for checks and balances collapse and accountability institutions abdicate their responsibilities. In this regard, the 8th National Assembly intends to discharge our oversight responsibilities fully.

    I therefore, want to implore Your Excellency to support us in this important task by ensuring that members of your government promptly respond to invitations for clarifications when they are required to do so by the National Assembly. Mr. President, if only half of the unfolding allegations regarding financial misappropriation under the previous administration are true, they would already be sufficient evidence of the dangers that we face when public officials treat accountability institutions with disdain and oversight activities with irritation.

    I am confident that your avowed commitment to the rule of law and accountability would have no accommodation for such behavior. On our own side, we want to assure you that we shall only pursue that which is provided for by the laws and strictly within the ambits of the law.

    Mr. President, I wish you to assure you that both chambers of the National Assembly are united in our support for your administration. We both recognize that even as we seek to maintain the integrity and independence of our respective Chambers, that autonomy must be embedded within the overriding responsibility we all have, to improve the quality of lives of our people and make them proud once again to be Nigerians. We recognize that a harmonious National Assembly is essential not only to Legislative progress, but also for the Executive to function effectively.

    I therefore invite Mr. President to take advantage of this relationship, which we have not had for a couple of years, to push through some of the necessary reforms that would promote our economy. It is in this light that the National Assembly is also prioritizing the passage of laws that further enhances our business environment and promotes accountability in governance.

    Let me assure you Mr. President, that with the 8th National Assembly you have got a partner. An ally to help you steer the ship of State in the right direction for growth, transparency, accountability, equal opportunities, inclusion and fairness. We will stand by you and work with you to see Nigeria become the pride of all Nigerians home and abroad and earn the respect it deserves in the global arena.

    With these few words, I hereby invite Your Excellency to deliver your speech and lay the 2016 budget proposals for the consideration of the National Assembly in accordance with Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

    I thank you and extend the season’s greetings to everyone.

    PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

    Dr. Bukola Saraki

  • Buhari to Nigerians: I feel your pains

    Buhari to Nigerians: I feel your pains

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that his administration is fully aware of the current hardship experienced in the country due to economy challenges.

    The President said this on Tuesday while presenting the 2016 budget at a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja.

    In his speech, President Buhari said: “I know the state of our economy is a source of concern for many. This has been further worsened by the unbridled corruption and security challenges we have faced in the last few years.

    “From those who have lost their jobs, to those young people who have never had a job, to the people in the North East whose families and businesses were destroyed by insurgents, this has been a difficult period in our nation’s history, lessons that we must not forget or ignore, as we plan for the future.

    “Fellow Nigerians, the confidence of many might be shaken. However, I stand before you today promising that we will secure our country, rebuild our economy, and make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger than it has ever been.”

    He further noted that the answers to Nigeria’s problems are not beyond us, saying: “They exist on our farmlands; our corporations; in the universities in the hearts and minds of our entrepreneurs; through the gallantry of our Armed Forces; and the resolute spirit of Nigerians, especially the youth, who have refused to give up despite all the obstacles confronting them.

    “This Budget proposal, the first by our Government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians.

    “We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

    “In the medium to longer term, we remain committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion. This will build resilience in our economy.

    “It will guarantee that the problems we have today, will not confront our children and their children. This shall be our legacy for generations to come.

    “We have, and will continue to implement strategies that will maintain macroeconomic stability and manage the oil price shocks we are experiencing.

    “On the economy, we injected new leadership at the helm of our revenue generating agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). We implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which, so far, has provided greater visibility of Government revenues and cash flows.

    “We intervened to support States to navigate their fiscal challenges by restructuring their commercial bank loans and by providing facilities to enable them to pay salary arrears.

    “We have demonstrated a strong will to fight corruption. I am sure you will agree that the sheer scale of corruption and impunity of the past explains in part, the economic challenges we now face.

    “On these initiatives, and the many more to come, we shall not be deterred. We will pursue the recovery of everything that belongs to the people of Nigeria. No matter where it is hidden. No matter how long it will take.”

    The projected revenue was N3.45 trillion, with an outlay of N4.49 trillion, implying a deficit of N1.04 trillion, due largely to under-provisioning by the previous administration for fuel subsidy and the costs required, to support the military operations in the North East.

    Tthe Government had to obtain National Assembly’s approval for a supplementary budget of N575.5 billion.

    “I take this opportunity to thank all members of the National Assembly for the prompt passage of that Bill,” Buhari summed.