By Dino Amadin, Abuja.
President Buhari has directed all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to make themselves available for budget defense whenever they are invited by the national assembly.
The President gave the directive on Thursday during the presentation of the 2021 estimated budget befor a joint session of the national assembly.
Buhari noted that the directive informed to further strengthen the relationship between the Executive and the National Assembly and also to ensure the speedy passage and implementation of the budget within the specified timeframe.
He said: “Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, Distinguished and Honourable Members of the 9th National Assembly; let me use this opportunity to, again, commend your firm commitment towards ensuring a very harmonious and productive relationship with the Executive. It is important to further deepen this relationship the relationship.
“As you review the 2021 Budget estimates, we believe the legislative process will be expedited to ensure its prompt passage to sustain the restoration of a predictable January – December fiscal year. In this regard, I have directed all Ministers and Heads of Agencies to be personally available for budget defence”.
“Let me re-emphasize that Nigerians expect that the 2021 Budget will contain only implementable and critical projects, which when completed, will significantly address current structural challenges of the economy, improve the business environment and accelerate economic recovery, Buhari added.
Daybreak reports that the directive came on the heels of a report and recommendations by a joint committee of the Senate on Finance and National Planning and Economic Affairs on the 2021–2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) And Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP)
Recalled that Senate on Wednesday faulted MDAs and other government revenue generation bodies over poor performance and none adherence to the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, saying it is not going to be business as usual, particularly at a time like this when the global economy has been severally affected the by outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
This followed a report by its joint Committees on Finance And National Planning And Economic Affairs on the 2021–2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) And Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) headed by Senator Solomon O. Adeola, Chairman, Committee of Finance and Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi Chairman, Committee on National & Economic Affairs, the Committee.
The Committee had in its report and findings pointed out a lot of discrepancies where it said majority of goverment revenue generating agencies and major revenue drivers of the federal government had for the last two Fiscal years engaged in what it described as ‘arbitrary and frivolous” expenditure, making it difficult to determine actual Federal Government revenue, with a large percentage of these expenditure, being extra-budgetary.
Committee had observed “that apart from the major revenue drivers of the Federal Government, in the Oil and Gas sector, the Nigerian Customs Service, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), majority of the other revenue generating agencies, failed to meet their yearly revenue targets, within the 2018-2020 period reviewed; That majority of the revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government engaged in arbitrary and frivolous expenditure, making it difficult to determine actual Federal Government revenue, with a large percentage of these expenditure, being extra-budgetary
The Committee further disclosed that most “revenue agencies engaged either in outright non–remittance or under-remittance of operating surpluses due to the CRF, in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and the extant laws that created the agencies. The sum of N1.4 billion outstanding remittance was discovered in the case of just one of these agencies between 2018 and 2019;
In the report, the Committee also noted that going by the very difficult times in which the country and indeed the global community has found itself as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic and our own domestic challenges, the Senate must live up to expectations.
“It is clear that it cannot be business as usual for this Senate and indeed the National Assembly with respect to its representative, oversight and law-making functions.
“Therefore, this Senate, and indeed the National Assembly must, more than at any other time, collaborate with the Executive to ensure the effective and full implementation of this 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP and the subsequent annual budgets thereof.
