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  • Senate shifts passage of 2019 Budget to April 30

    The N8.83 trillion Appropriation Bill presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint session of the National Assembly on December 19, last year for consideration will be passed on April 30, Senate President Bukola Saraki has assured.

    The Senate yesterday shifted the passage of the 2019 Appropriation Bill. Neither the Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee, Danjuma Goje, nor his deputy, Sonny Ogbuoji, was on hand to comment on the documents.

    Besides, the non-availability of copies on the details of the budget proposal to senators also contributed to the shift in date.

    Details of the budget proposal were presented to the Senate Wednesday last week and the Senate president had assured penultimate week that the Senate might pass the budget on April 16.

    Announcing the shift in date, Saraki directed the Clerk of the Senate to make copies available to every senator latest by Monday to set the stage for the documents’ consideration the following day.

    Saraki said: “Some members have not got printed copies of the details and I have directed the Clerk to make sure that latest by Monday, we all have printed copies so that everybody can see the details of the budget, and by so doing we can now pass it on Tuesday next week.

    “We don’t want to run into problems where we pass it without details and our colleagues will start to comment.

    “So, Clerk, ensure that everybody has copies of the details by Monday and we will pass it on Tuesday.”

    Work on this year’s budget proposal has been slow, owing to the failure of many of the Senate Standing Committees to submit their reports in respect of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under their oversight.

    The various committee reports ought to have been submitted to the Appropriation Committee by April 11, as earlier directed by Saraki.

  • 9th NASS: Speakership contestant rejects open ballot voting

    The call for the adoption of open ballot voting system for the emergence of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly has been described as mischief by the promoters.

    A group of civil society organisations under the aegis of Advocates for Good Governance (AGG) had Wednesday morning started a protest at the National Assembly demanding that the election of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly be conducted in the open through open ballot.

    One of the contestants for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Umaru Bago (APC, Niger) however said the call was an act of intimidation.

    He urged his colleagues not to succumb to the intimidation but go out to vote on 10th of June according to their conscience.

    Bago, while speaking at a media interactive session in Abuja Wednesday also said the statement credited to the Niger State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday was misrepresented.

    He said: “The call for open ballot voting during the election of the leadership of the National Assembly is crude, if the group behind it is serious, they should have asked that open ballot be adopted for the 2019 general election.

    “This agitation is pure mischief. If I may ask, who’s afraid of secret ballot?

    Read Also: 9th NASS: North-Central govs endorse Lawan, Gbajabiamila

    “If any contestants has the number and confident of victory, why the complaint over the system that is enshrined in our House rules and expecting the House to change its rule on the eve of election.

    “I will advise our members not to bow to intimidation”.

    Bago, who also denied reports that he has withdrawn from the race noted that reports credited to the Nigerians State APC Chairman that he (Bago) would not enjoy the support of the members elect from the State was not correct.

    “All the Chairman said was that the parry in the State will toe the Party line, which is ok.

    “What I will say is that it is 360 of us that would be on the floor on that day to vote,” he added.

  • No more excuses

    The disclosure by Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Ayine, that the National Assembly has failed to act on reports sent to it since 1999 by his office is an admission of the failure of politicians to promote accountability and good governance. All that public officials have pointed to as evidence of success is the sheer length of civilian leadership. They are quick to attribute the slow progress being made to what they describe as nascent democracy. In recent times, government has come up with a “war against corruption” mantra that starts and ends with probing the past, with a view to recovering stolen assets. Little is being done to strengthen institutions of state and putting in place adequate structure to deter graft.

    The 1999 Constitution and public service regulations are clear on the need for regular audit of ministries, departments and agencies of government as a way of deterring corrupt practices. It is unfortunate that, in 20 years, the National Assembly, to which the Auditor-General of the Federation is mandated by section 85 (3) of the constitution to submit an annual report, is yet to fully consider any of the reports.

    We are constrained to ask, what have the public accounts committees of the two chambers of the federal legislature been doing? Too engrossed in base politicking to have time for primary assignments? We recall that the various audits laid before the law makers have raised serious issues for which directors of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) ought to have been summoned. The same practices have continued over the years because no one had offered the checks and balances envisaged by the grundnorm. Impunity, arrogance and avarice reign freely in the public sector as a result of this failure of the National Assembly.

    But, whither the executive, too? Financial Regulation 3210(v) is clear in providing that every agency shall forward its financial statement early enough to the Accountant-General of the Federation for scrutiny and onward transmission to the Auditor-General before May 31 of the following year. As pointed out by Mr. Ayine, the last report received from the Office of the Accountant-General was with respect to 2016, and it captured returns for 323 agencies. He said 65 agencies have submitted nothing since the inception of the Fourth Republic.

    As the buck for actions and inactions of the executive stops on the President’s table, we are surprised that these infractions have escaped his attention so far. Accountability should be scrupulously adhered to by all in a government that lays claims to fighting sleaze and graft in the public sector.

    The 8th National Assembly, like others before it, has failed the nation in raising the standards. So, the 9th assembly should take note and put an end to this odious practice. The next Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives should commence work by ensuring that only legislators of impeccable character and vast experience in the public and private sectors serve in the public accounts committees. The committees’ work is too important to be left for professional politicians.

    Where audit observations were made in the past, the agencies should be made to respond. Chief executive officers of the 65 agencies that have so far subverted the system by ignoring constitutional requirements should be brought to book as soon as possible. Those still in service, even if serving in other departments, should be punished as stipulated in the rules and regulations. We cannot keep doing the same thing the same way and expect a different result.

    President Muhammadu Buhari owes Nigerians who have reposed confidence in him by renewing his mandate the duty of ensuring discipline in the executive arm of government, while lawmakers cannot continue to demonstrate contempt for work, hoping that Nigerians will continue to excuse their aberrant behaviour on the ground of executive-legislature tiff. It is time for serious business.

  • Budget 2019 Budget passage likely tomorrow

    BARRING the unforeseen, the National Assembly will pass this year’s Appropriation Bill tomorrow.

    It was learnt yesterday that the Appropriation Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives have been working round the clock to ensure the submission of budget reports to the two chambers tomorrow.

    To avoid any form of harmonisation that will further delay the passage of the bill, both chambers plan to submit the same budget report.

    On Tuesday last week, Senate President Bukola Saraki gave all sub-committees Wednesday deadline to submit their budget reports to the Appropriations Committee.

    Saraki also mandated the Appropriation Committee to submit its budget report on April 11 for consideration and possible passage today.

    Read also: Shaibu advocates more budgetary allocation for military

    But The Nation found out that the bill was not ready for submission for consideration at today’s plenary.

    The Senate President had warned that the Appropriations Committee may be forced to use Executive submissions if the sub-committees failed to submit their reports to the Appropriations Committee by Wednesday.

    Saraki described as unacceptable that only noted that only 24 out of 61 subcommittees committees had submitted their reports as at last week.

    The budget item, curiously, was not listed on the Senate Order Paper on April 11.

    A competent source told our reporter yesterday that “the Appropriation Committee is already putting finishing touches to its budget report for submission to the Senate in plenary on Wednesday (tomorrow).”

    The source added that “barring any hiccup, the 2019 budget will be passed the same day.”

  • National Assembly may pass 2019 budget Wednesday

    The National Assembly is scheduled to pass the 2019 budget on Wednesday, it has been learnt.

    Findings showed the Appropriation Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives have been working round the clock to ensure the budget reports are submitted to the two chambers on Wednesday.

    It was also learnt that the two chambers planned to submit the same budget report to avoid any form of harmonisation that will further delay the passage of the budget.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had on Tuesday April 9th given the sub-committees the Wednesday deadline to submit their budget reports to the Appropriations Committee.

    Saraki also mandated the Appropriation Committee to submit its budget report on Thursday, April 11 for consideration and possible passage on Tuesday, April 16.

    He warned the Appropriations Committee may be forced to use Executive submissions if the sub-committees failed to submit their reports to the Appropriations Committee by Wednesday.

    Read Also: Ninth National Assembly and budget cycle

    The Senate President noted that out of 61 committees, only 24 committees submitted their reports.

    Curiously, the budget item was not listed on Senate Order Paper on Thursday, April 11.

    A competent source told our reporter on Tuesday that “the Appropriation Committee is already putting finishing touches to its budget report for submission to the Senate in plenary on Wednesday.”

    The source added “barring any hiccup, the 2019 budget will be passed the same day.”

     

  • National Assembly members compromise oversight, probes, says ICPC chairman

    The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) Professor Bolaji Owasanoye has said that members of the National Assembly most times compromise their major constitutional functions of oversight and investigation.

    The ICPC chairman noted that as a result of the comprise, especially through commercialisation of their activities, the member lack the will to carry out their constitutional roles of oversight

    Professor Owasanoye stated this while delivering a paper titled ‘The Role of the Legislature in the War Against Corruption and Graft’ on the last day of the induction course for the second batch of elected members of the coming 9th Assembly.

    He said “We should avoid a situation where because people are being investigated, they come to say they want to change the laws to forestall that. I want to urge the lawmakers not to support that.

    Read also: ICPC docks Education Ministry’s director over N162m fraud

    “Oversight function has been commercialised, which is why the mechanism hasn’t been effective. Legislature is accused of passing the costs to MDAs and of accepting other forms of gratification, eg foreign trips, phony seminars, to look the other way.

    “The Legislature has powers of investigation: this was very well utilised in the past. But many other times, the power is commercialised. You find out that the investigators become compromised in the process. There’s lacuna on what the legislature should do with the findings,” he said.

    The ICPC chairman also challenged the lawmakers to make the details of their budget public.

    “Since 1999, the Nigerian Legislature has never shown any seriousness in scrutinising the reports of the auditor general. NASS Budget rose from N6.9bn in 1999 to N139bn in 2018.

    “There’s no country in the world where the legislature budget is up to one percent. But the question is there’s no breakdown for the amount. It is opaque and disproportionate. If you make the details, it may even lead to the need for more funds. Why would the legislature demand the details of agencies’ budgets without making its own open?”

  • Updated: National Assembly releases its 2018 budget details

    Onyedi Ojiabor, Abuja

    The National Assembly leadership Friday released details of its 2018 budget.

    The release of the details of the fiscal document followed the directive of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who asked the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori, to publish the budget details with line items for the interest of Nigerians.

    Saraki also mandated the Clerk to make details of the National Assembly 2019 budget available for passage into law.

    In a letter addressed to the CNA dated 26 March, 2019, Saraki said that full details of the National Assembly budget with necessary line items should be made ready for passage as part of the National budget.

    The letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, is entitled, “Subject: NASS budget details.”

    It read in part, “The President of the Senate has asked me to request you to please ensure that the NASS Budget Details with all the line items are ready for passage along with the National Budget when Senate resumes next week. Thank you.”

    The breakdown of the N139,500,000,000 showed that the National Assembly office was allocated N 8,576,260,225 for total personnel cost, N4,536,048,933 for total overhead cost, total recurrent cost is N13,112,309,158 while the sum of N2,276,926,754 as total capital amounting to N15,389,235,912.

    For the Senate, N1, 856,510,517 was voted for personnel cost, N28,791,110,014 for overhead, N30,647,620,531 for recurrent expendiyure. N4,934,465,168 for capital vote amounting to a total of N35,582,085,699.

    For the House of Representatives, the sum of N4,923,743,127 was voted for personnel cost, N47,735,756,179 earmarked for overhead, N52,659,499,306 for recurrent expenditure, N4,765,638,487 for capital vote amounting to a total of N57,425,137,793.

    The National Assembly Service Commission was allocated N1,175,626,305 as personnel cost, N1,250,662,999, N2,426,289,304 recurrent, N309,791,962 capital budget, a total of N2,736,081,266.

    The controversial Legislative Aides have a budgetary provision of N9,517,127,214 personnel cost, N534,968,714 overhead cost, N10,052,095,928 recurrent, N150,000,000 capital, a total of N10,202,095,928.

    Curiously, the legislative aides have always been at daggers drawn with the leadership of the National Assembly over alleged unpaid allowances.

    It is not clear whether the purchase of computer for legislative aides, allocated N100 million and the another of purchase of computers also allocated N100million are parts of the breakdown of the budget.

    Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was allocated N118, 970,215 for overhead cost, N118, 970,215 for recurrent amount to a total of N118, 970,215.

    For the House of Representatives PAC, N142, 764,258 was voted for overhead cost, N142, 764,258 recurrent a total of N142, 764,258.

    General services received N8,967,743,268 for overhead cost, N8,967,743,268 for recurrent, N3,416,928,811 capital vote, a total of N12,384,672,079.

    Read Also: Southwest youths back Lawan, Gbajabiamila for National Assembly posts

    National Assembly Legislative Institute got N433,771,911 as personnel cost, N1,223,988,826 as overhead cost, N1,657,760,737 recurrent cost, N2,716,052,859 as capital vote amounting to a total of N4,373,813,596.

    Service Wide Vote received N1, 145,143,254.

    Total allocation -N26,483,039,299 as personnel cost, N93,302,013,406 as overhead cost, N119,785,052,705 recurrent, N18,569,804,041 capital vote amounting to a grand total of N139,500,000,000 as the National Assembly 2018 budget.

    Other break down of the budget showed that furniture and fittings received N214.55m; photocopying machine and other office equipment N368.674m, health and medical equipment N191.501, purchase of power generating sets and upgrade of power supply equipment—, Purchase of learning and teaching aid equipment N5million; purchase of library books and equipment N60million; purchase of motor vehicles N657.394 million, purchase of security equipment N440 million; rehabilitation/ repair of office buildings N232.805 million

     

     

  • 9th NASS: Our challenges have no party, tribe or religion, says Ekweremadu

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has said that the ninth National Assembly would rise above political, religious, and ethnic divides to address the myriads of challenges facing Nigeria.

    Ekweremadu spoke at a dinner to mark the end of the orientation programme organised for the members-elect of the incoming National Assembly in Abuja.

    The Enugu West lawmaker, who described the National Assembly as a microcosm of Nigeria, observed that bringing together the members-elect from across the country had not only helped them to garner basic legislative knowledge but also to familiarise with one another and better appreciate the peculiar challenges faced by various parts of the country.

    Ekweremadu said: “After elections comes the onerous business of governance and I am greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and determination of Distinguished Senator and Honourable Members-elect to rise above narrow politics.

    Read Also: Ekweremadu donates classroom to Hausa community

    “It gladdens the heart that Members-elect are aware that once sworn-in as Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic, we are bound by our oath of office and House Rules to always act in the overall interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being, and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are bound by these instruments to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “We may all have come in different vehicles as represented by our various political parties but poverty and hunger faced by the masses of Nigeria have no political party.

    “We may profess different religions, but the insecurity taking high tolls on our people has no religion.

    “Therefore, it is imperative and we are indeed inclined to work as a team for the peace, justice, equity, and national prosperity, irrespective of political leanings and diversities.

    “Ours is a call to service, a call to deliver democracy dividends, a call to meet the expectations of our people and a call to ensure that the government of Nigeria works for the people of Nigeria and I have no doubt whatsoever that we will deliver on our mandates.”

  • National Assembly leadership power play

    The constitution of the leadership of the Ninth National Assembly is already generating needless controversy, fuelled by ego-induced muscle flexing, a tendency to Machiavellian tactics and a penchant for political skulduggery.  What we are witnessing is the crass individualism of politicians whose selfishness overrides all principles of decency and consideration for the public good. I suspect a large number of these people are ignorant of the practical workings of democracy, while others are knowledgeable but are up to mischief – call it political power play. This category relish the grandstanding on the public gallery and the name recognition it engenders. For them, it is machismo, the political swagger.

    The normal practice in a democracy is for the majority party to hold sway. It is this principle that prompted the saying that in a democracy, the minority will have their say, but the majority will have their way.  Nigerian legislators cannot rewrite this principle. Also, in a democracy, a synergy is expected between the executive and the legislature when a party produces the president and also has the majority in the legislature because the presidency and the legislature in such a scenario are to implement the same party manifesto, with the party leadership serving as a clearing house – the coordinator. The convention in presidential democracy is for the majority party to produce the leadership in the legislature as well as committee chairmen, according to hierarchical ranking.  In the U.S., the most senior minority party member on a committee is designated ranking member; where party majority changes, the ranking member becomes the committee chairman. So, in the current situation at the National Assembly, the two principal positions should not be subject of tussle – the senate majority leader, Ahmad Lawan, should succeed to senate presidency while the house majority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, assumes the speakership of the House of Representatives. Other principal positions are similarly aligned. Rankings are adopted to prevent undue acrimony in succession in the U.S. Congress.  What happened in the 8th National Assembly senate where an opposition member became senate vice president is an aberration that should not be allowed to repeat itself.  With the opposition scheming to hijack the leadership of the National Assembly and some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in open rebellion against the party’s decision on leadership of the chambers, with senators Ali Ndume and Danjuma Goje as poster boys of this rebellion, the battle line is drawn.

    One is scandalized when some self-serving Nigerian legislators and their duplicitous, surrogate commentators in the media parrot the ideological inanity of separation of powers in a democracy and that the legislature should not be a rubber stamp of the executive. But, ultimately, is government not a unified entity? Are the various arms of government expected to be at each other’s throat, work at cross purposes, in asserting a theoretical separation of powers?

    Now, take the example of parliamentary democracy in Britain. In the British parliament, it is from among members of the legislature (The Commons) that the executive is formed with the leader of the majority party emerging as prime minister. In America’s presidential system of democracy, the vice-president even doubles as president of the U.S. Senate!  The American president appoints hundreds of federal judges, including those of the Supreme Court.  So, where, in reality, is the separation?  On this issue of the 9th National Assembly leadership, reason seems to have taken flight while emotion and mischief reign supreme, with some people. And rubber stamp legislature?  This is reflective of a cultural negativity where people don’t expect couples to live in harmony, thus a man supportive of his wife is dubbed a “woman wrapper’’.  Does a 9th National Assembly supportive of government development agenda make it a Buhari wrapper?

    The APC and President Buhari cannot succumb to the on-going blackmail. So far, the leadership of the APC, led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has stood firm against the onslaughts. For the purpose of discipline in the party, he must stay the course. Nigeria’s fledgling democracy must establish a system of order. President Buhari cannot adopt a ’siddon look’ or tepid approach. He should not be shy of exercising presidential power in the current situation.  A former American president, Lyndon B. Johnson, had a way of bringing difficult members of Congress around. They get invited to the White House and President Johnson ‘’leans’’ on them. President Buhari must ‘lean’, heavily on some people, if it will take that to bring sanity to the issue of leadership of the 9th National Assembly.

     

    • Dr. Olawunmi, a public affairs analyst and former Washington Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is a Fellow, Nigerian Guild of Editors.

  • Make details of NASS budget open, Saraki orders

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has mandated the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Mohammed Sani-Omolori, to make details of the National Assembly 2019 budget available for passage into law.

    The mandate is contained in a letter addressed to the CNA dated 26 March, 2019.

    Saraki said that full details of the National Assembly budget with necessary line items should be made ready for passage as part of the National budget.

    Read also: Saraki: Education crucial for peace, security, rule of Law

    The letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, is entitled,  “Subject: NASS budget details.”

    It reads in part, “The President of the Senate has asked me to request you to please ensure that the NASS Budget Details with all the line items are ready for passage along with the National Budget when Senate resumes next week. Thank you.”

    END