Executive, Legislature Take Budget Controversy to the Streets

Tussle between both arms responsible for delay in passage of Appropriation Bill
Submit budget estimates to legislature before Friday, SGF directs MDAs

Damilola Oyedele and James Emejo in Abuja
In a development that has further dampened the prospects of early passage of the 2018 budget, the executive and legislative arms of government have taken to the streets to tell Nigerians their own side of the story on why the budget has not yet been passed, apportioning blame on each other.

Only last week, huge posters, which appeared to put the burden of the delayed passage of the budget on the doorstep of the National Assembly, surfaced on the streets and at strategic locations close to the parliament.
The message with banner headlines, urged the National Assembly to “stop playing politics and pass the budget.”
The posters had faceless sponsors, though the message was clear as to what quarters it emanated from.

Apparently aware of the negative impact the posters could send to the unsuspecting public, especially given the fast-approaching elections, a counter-poster surfaced over the weekend apparently sponsored by the legislature, though faceless too. It displaced the former posters.

This time, the message was rather blunt and straight to the point: “Ministers should be held responsible for the delayed passage of the budget- they should do the needful.”
The ensuing scenario suggests a new low in the fragile harmony that had existed between both arms of government in recent times.

Only last week, President Muhammadu Buhari, concerned over the continued delay in the passage of the budget, held a meeting which is expected to at least douse the tension surrounding the appropriation.
Buhari had during the presentation of the budget last December, appealed to lawmakers to speedily pass it so it could take effect from January 1, 2018, – now in March, the budget is nowhere near passage by the National Assembly.

Severally, relevant committees interfacing with government agencies had during budget sessions either denied audience with them or sent them packing largely because both were never on the same page regarding what the latter were requested to provide.

Often times in the House of Representatives a committee would demand evidence and justification for previous allocations and such agency would be short of explanation.
At the end of that interaction, the committee would give conditions for subsequent meetings with the affected agencies.

Other times, agencies would provide the information required in such a manner that renders it illegible, often times attracting a sharp rebuke from the lawmakers.
Some of the committees had vowed not to resume budget sessions with agencies which fail to cooperate in the areas of providing the necessary documents needed to make progress.

On the other hand, the executive considers the delay by the legislature as a deliberate attempt to sabotage its early passage with the elections looming.
The passage of the budget bill is also being delayed to protest the failure of the executive to consult the National Assembly, particularly members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in making key appointments into the heads of agencies and parastatals of government.

The 2018 budget bill was laid by President Buhari before a joint session of the National Assembly on November 7, 2017, with an appeal for its passage before the end of last year.
The executive had hinged the appeal on the push to restore the annual budget calendar to January to December, instead of the current practice where the lifespan of a budget commences in the middle of the year.

The Senate however recently heaped the blame for the delay on the failure of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to adequately defend their budget estimates before relevant committees in both chambers.
The subject matter was the crux of an interface between the leaders of the National Assembly and Buhari last Thursday, where the president reportedly expressed surprise at the attitudes of the heads of the MDAs.

The president, according to news reports, directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, to formally write the MDAs to resolve their budget issues with the legislature within one week.
THISDAY however gathered that the delay in the passage of the money bill is beyond the non responsiveness of the MDAs, as the lawmakers are also unhappy at the posture of the executive towards them.

Sources disclosed that the failure of Buhari to prioritise the full release of funds for the implementation of their constituency projects, which is crucial to their re-election has upset the lawmakers.
“The constituency funds have been partially released across board, but for lawmakers who are seeking to come back (re-election), 100 percent release is crucial. This is campaign year, our constituents will not take excuses. Meanwhile, this has been the attitude of this administration towards constituency project funds from the beginning.”

“If we pass the 2018 budget without full release of the N100 billion, we lose out because there are no guarantees that we would get major release in the 2018 budget,” a lawmaker said.
The lawmaker further disclosed that key APC members, who all contributed towards the electoral victory of Buhari in 2015 are upset that they were not given slots to nominate heads of agencies.
“Yes, they tried to soothe some with board appointment slots, but these are not working appointments, they are not active appointments,” he added.

Another lawmaker cited the continued hostile posture of the executive to the leaders of the National Assembly.
“They continue to drag the Senate President to CCT (Code of Conduct Tribunal), they find one reason or the other to haul our senators to court, for frivolous reasons, they set EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) on lawmakers at will, for cases they are unable to prove, and they expect us to pass the budget,” he said.
The lawmaker said Buhari has remained reluctant to embrace the art of lobbying, which is common legislative practice deployed around the world.

“This executive has failed to accept that politics is about negotiations, it’s give and take, it is that simple.”
“From the beginning of this administration, the posture has been an antagonistic one towards the legislature, particularly the Senate. Sometimes they act like they want to smoothen the relationship, before you know it, we seem to be at war again. The President would be acting friendly, his aides would be talking anyhow at the National Assembly,” he added.

The legislative aide also pointed out the ‘body language’ of the National Assembly suggests most lawmakers have an axe to grind with the president.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Senate spokesperson, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, failed, as he did not pick calls to his mobile phones, or respond to text messages.

The Deputy Senate spokesman, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, responded to a text message seeking to know if the budget would be passed soon after the president’s directive to the MDAs.
“Yes, very soon,” the text message read.
However, the SGF, Mustapha, has formally directed that agencies, corporations and government owned companies to submit details of their 2018 budget estimates to the appropriate committees of the National Assembly not later than Friday, March 23, 2018.

Mustapha conveyed the directives in a circular dated Monday, March 19, 2018 to all MDAs.
The circular read: “It has come to the attention of government that a number of agencies, corporations and government owned companies have not fully complied with the provisions of Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007.

“Agencies are reminded that the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007 provides that consequent upon laying of summary of budget estimates of agencies listed in the schedule to the FRA alongside the national budget by Mr. President, it is required that details of such budgets are made available to the National Assembly for consideration and passage. This position was reiterated in the attached publication in the Nation Newspaper of Wednesday, February 7, 2018 by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on National Assembly Matters (Senate)

“Accordingly, Mr. President has directed: that agencies, corporations and government owned companies in the schedule to the FRA 2007 should comply with the provisions of the law; All submissions (109 copies to the Senate and 360 copies to the House) should be made available to the appropriate Committees of the National Assembly. Copies should also be made available to the SSAP on National Assembly Matters (Senate and House respectively), not later than Friday, March 23, 2018; and All agencies, corporations and government owned companies should honour invitations to defend their estimates timeously.”
He added that supervising ministers are enjoined to ensure timely compliance with the content of the circular.