Ministers, FG officials frustrating 2018 budget, Senate alleges

The Senate has told Nigerians to blame members of
President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet and the ministries,
departments and agencies under their portfolios for the delay in
the passage of the 2018 Appropriation Bill by the National
Assembly.

At the plenary on Wednesday, the upper chamber of the National
Assembly decried that ministers and heads of Federal Government
departments and agencies were allegedly frustrating legislative
work on the budget proposal with their foreign trips and
non-cooperation with the lawmakers.

The Senate had on February 14, 2018, asked 63 agencies and
parastatals under the Federal Government to submit details of their
proposed 2018 budgets within one week or risk sanctions.

Members of the chamber had decried that while President
Muhammadu Buhari had complied with the law by laying the 2018
Appropriation Bill along with details of estimates before the
lawmakers, agencies of the government had disregarded the law.

On Wednesday, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, asked the
Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of what was
happening to the 2018 budget.

Responding, Ogbuoji said, “Since January, the Appropriations
Committee’s doors have been opened to receiving reports from the
sub-committees but most of the sub-committees have a huge challenge
with the MDAS because majority of the MDAS are not coming forward
to interface with them. Some of the ministers will tell you that
they are going outside the country and because of that, the MDAs
are not fully ready. So, we don’t have the reports yet.

“We believe that it is when the MDAs come forward that our
colleagues will be able to finish with their work. Some of the
committees are unable to do their work. When they (committees)
screen what they (MDAs’) have brought, they will ask them to go
back and work on them budgets and come back. But they don’t come
back, and that is delaying the work on majority of the MDAs. That
is why up till today, we don’t have completed report.”

Reacting, Saraki said it was the intention of the lawmakers to
complete the process as soon as possible. He asked the Majority
Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, to communicate to the Executive “so
that these MDAs and these ministers and heads of agencies can be
told to play their part and ensure that this exercise can be
completed.”

The Senate has told Nigerians to blame members of
President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet and the ministries,
departments and agencies under their portfolios for the delay in
the passage of the 2018 Appropriation Bill by the National
Assembly.

At the plenary on Wednesday, the upper chamber of the National
Assembly decried that ministers and heads of Federal Government
departments and agencies were allegedly frustrating legislative
work on the budget proposal with their foreign trips and
non-cooperation with the lawmakers.

The Senate had on February 14, 2018, asked 63 agencies and
parastatals under the Federal Government to submit details of their
proposed 2018 budgets within one week or risk sanctions.

Members of the chamber had decried that while President
Muhammadu Buhari had complied with the law by laying the 2018
Appropriation Bill along with details of estimates before the
lawmakers, agencies of the government had disregarded the law.

On Wednesday, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, asked the
Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of what was
happening to the 2018 budget.

Responding, Ogbuoji said, “Since January, the Appropriations
Committee’s doors have been opened to receiving reports from the
sub-committees but most of the sub-committees have a huge challenge
with the MDAS because majority of the MDAS are not coming forward
to interface with them. Some of the ministers will tell you that
they are going outside the country and because of that, the MDAs
are not fully ready. So, we don’t have the reports yet.

“We believe that it is when the MDAs come forward that our
colleagues will be able to finish with their work. Some of the
committees are unable to do their work. When they (committees)
screen what they (MDAs’) have brought, they will ask them to go
back and work on them budgets and come back. But they don’t come
back, and that is delaying the work on majority of the MDAs. That
is why up till today, we don’t have completed report.”

Reacting, Saraki said it was the intention of the lawmakers to
complete the process as soon as possible. He asked the Majority
Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, to communicate to the Executive “so
that these MDAs and these ministers and heads of agencies can be
told to play their part and ensure that this exercise can be
completed.”