Senate Gives Agencies One Week to Submit 2018 Budget Details

The Senate has issued a one-week ultimatum to 63 government agencies who are yet to submit details of their 2018 budget proposals.

Coming under order 43, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, said the attitude of the agencies was frustrating the effort of the senate for a speedy passage of the budget.

He said only one of 64 agencies submitted details of its budget to the senate.

“Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria submitted, presented to the National Assembly in a general sitting the main budget as well as the summary of the budget of the agencies. By so doing he has completed his work. What is required of the agencies is for them to present the details of their agencies.

“Mr. President, my office has been working closely with the office of distinguished Senator Ita Enang. We have insisted that the details of the budget must be presented to the senate so that it would be considered alongside the 2018 budget and be passed as quickly as it can and together.
“This is the The Nation of Wednesday February 7, 2018, in which Senator Ita Enang was calling on all the 64 agencies they must submit their budgets to him for onward transmission to this senate. So far, Mr. President, it is only one that has submitted.”

According to Premium Times, he prayed the Senate to direct the agencies to submit their budget details within one week.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, threatened to invoke legislative sanctions on the agencies if they fail to comply within the time frame.

He said: “This has been a matter we’ve been talking about for a very long time and these agencies continue to have total disregard for due process. Mr. President, the executive arm is doing things properly, and agencies just do things in the wrong way. The SA to the President has even gone far to put an advert in the paper. So, I think it’s very clear the mandate we give to them one week.

“It’s not that we don’t know what to do. Some of our cooperation should not be misread as weakness or not knowing what to do because definitely we can mandate the Ministry of Finance to ensure that they do not further other releases because they are breaking the law. We will give them one week and after that one week they don’t then we’ll take necessary actions to show that they need to comply with the law that guides them.”