2019 budget will wait till after elections – Lawmakers

Some lawmakers on Sunday said it would be impossible for the National Assembly to start and complete work on the national budget before next year’s general elections.

They, however, promised to begin work on it when the National Assembly reconvenes in March or April next year.

A member of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, said it might be difficult to pass the budget before the elections.

He said, “When we resume in January 16, the President of the Senate will send the budget proposal to our committee.

“By that time the election will be getting closer and there would be discussions on the general principles of the document which could take up to two weeks. That means that we would have only two weeks to go.”

“What I can guarantee is that we will  conclude discussions on the general principles between the period of our resumption and the elections.”

The Chairman Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Senator Shehu Sani, also said passing the budget before the elections would be a  difficult task.

He said, “By the time we resume, it would be exactly one month to the general elections. Every committee will invite the heads of agencies under their oversight responsibilities to make submissions.

“We cannot achieve that because many of us will be campaigning.

“The only thing we can  achieve is to discuss the general principles of the budget.”

A Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the speedy passage of the budget would depend on the executive.

He said, “Since the executive arm of the government is aware that this is an election period, it should have submitted the budget earlier. The current administration has not treated the National Assembly like a critical arm of government.

“We know that there will definitely be allegations of budget padding against the federal legislature that is why we will take time to really scrutinise the budget proposals.

“As things are, there is no way we can  start any meaningful work on the budget until after the elections.”

However, a former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, expressed confidence that the budget would be passed before the general elections.

He said, “We should be able to pass the budget before the elections depending on the content and the complex of the proposed fiscal document. We have done a similar thing before.

“We will  rely on the cooperation of  the  opposition lawmakers  to achieve it this time round.”

Also, some House of Representatives members said the budget would wait until after the elections.

The lawmakers also noted that the 2019-2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper is still pending before the National Assembly and must be passed before the appropriation budget could be considered.

The member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Mr Kingsley Chinda (PDP), said, “I am sure that even the person ( President Muhammadu Buhari) who presented it knows that it cannot be passed before the elections.

“Firstly the MTEF was sent to us around late November and early December for consideration. Shortly after, the budget was dumped on us. The intention is just to make Nigerians to scream that the budget is before the National Assembly and we are delaying it.

“I am sure that the ordinary Nigerian knows that we cannot get the ministries, departments and agencies to appear before us during the Christmas break to defend the budget. The ministers are also involved in the elections, because they need to campaign for their boss. So, who will defend the budget.

“Reasonably, I don’t see the possibility of the budget being passed before the elections. Even where we decide to work, you cannot get the heads of the MDAs to defend the budget.”

 

(PUNCH)