‘Buhari pleased with lawmakers revisiting 2016 fiscal plan’

To prevent a repeat of the delay in the passage of the 2016 budget, the presidency yesterday said it was prepared to forward next year’s budget appropriation bill to the National Assembly for ratification.

A top source in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian in Abuja that President Muhammadu Buhari was ready to sign the 2016 budget as soon as the appropriation committee completes its task of addressing the grey areas pointed out in a number of sectors.

The source who said that the president was deeply upset about the delay in the passage of the 2016 budget expressed delight that the lawmakers are working on the irregularities pointed out by the executive and the lawmakers as well.

According to the source, the current delay is not caused by the executive.

The presidency was also said to have begun extensive work on the 2017 appropriation document and would be ready to transmit it to the lawmakers so as to prevent a repeat of budget delay next year. However, the source said that the priority remained the passage of the 2016 budget before focusing on the 2017 fiscal plan.

“We are happy that the National Assembly has accepted responsibility and offered to take a look at the grey areas of the 2016 budget. Mr. President is particularly pleased with this position.

“We are not in anyway pleased that the budget has not been passed up till now. This was not our making at all. In fact, as we speak, we have begun detailed work on the 2017 appropriation document to make it ready to be forwarded to the National Assembly. But we can’t do that just yet because the 2016 budget is being awaited. Final work is currently ongoing before it is brought to the president for assent,” the presidency source said.

On the relationship between NASS and the presidency, the source said that it was cordial, noting that much of what appeared as misunderstanding between the two arms of government was escalated by the media.

“The presidency and NASS are in constant touch. We have a very cordial relationship. I believe what happened was that the press did so much speculation and got the lawmakers to be responding to media reports. We have an understanding and we are confident that the two arms of the legislature would fully harmonise and come up with the 2016 budget that the executive can defend,” the source said.

Meanwhile, a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, has cautioned both parties in the budget impasse to bring it to an urgent end in the overall national interest.

He spoke as the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, endorsed President Buhari’s stance not to sign the budget until he sees all the details of the document.

Speaking to State House correspondents after a private meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday, Nnamani would, however, not dispute or confirm media reports that he had pitched his tent with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after having recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nnamani, who visited the Villa with Masari, expressed concern about the budget face-off, saying that the differences arising from the matter between the executive and the legislature should be resolved. He added that the issue of budget should be a joint responsibility of both the legislature and executive as no arm of the government could do it without the other.

His words: “The issue of budget is an area where we practise what we call co-management between the National Assembly and the executive branch of government, both of them co-manage the economy through the budget. It is a peculiar area where both of them will have to cooperate and collaborate for a proper budget to be passed, and once it is passed, it becomes law.”

Also, the Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has said that the “distortions and misallocations” of budgetary proposals to Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are preventing Buhari from signing the 2016 budget into law.

The distortions and budgetary misallocations, according to him, are also contrary to Section 54 of the 1999 Constitution that spells out clearly the “conditions and terms” on which a budget proposal from the executive could be passed by legislature and signed into law.

Ndume, who spoke on Sunday at his Government Reservation Area (GRA) residence, Maiduguri at an interactive session with journalists on the delay in the signing of the budget, said that with the identified distortions and misallocations, the leadership of the National Assembly would sit with the president to correct or amend the distortions before the Appropriation Bill would be assented to.

His words: “If you’re working on a national budget, you have to scrutinise each and every budgetary allocation to the various MDAs, including the National Assembly. This will enable the lawmakers in the upper and lower chambers to process it sector by sector, as it affects and improves on the performances of various sectors of the economy of the country.

“Contrary to enunciations in some quarters, we have no disagreements with the president on the 2016 budget that is yet to be assented into law for implementation.”

http://m.guardian.ng/news/were-ready-to-tender-2017-budget-says-presidency/

Is this a joke or what?

We are still engulfed in the 2016 Budget impasse, yet our leaders are alluding to their preparedness of the 2017 Budget.

Quality time taken to deliver quality job is never a waste, but haste makes for waste!

No matter how much Resources: time, money, energy, mentality, relationships, etc one expends and exerts in a wrong direction, until he makes a u-turn to redirect his journey alright, all will tantamount to fruitless.

Again, 'take your time' is not always a compliment.

Opinedecandid:
Is this a joke or what?

We are still engulfed in the 2016 Budget impasse, yet our leaders are alluding to their preparedness of the 2017 Budget.

Quality time taken to deliver quality job is never a waste, but haste makes for waste!

I shake head 4 u......u can never make it wit D's attitude.....

Useless party. 2016 budget never gree una bring out na 2017 una dey think off

Una neva finish 2016 na 2017 una dey talk about? Dis govt is stupid...........

2017 budget to be released in 2019

Bunch of confused officials, when we are yet to get the year 2016 budget done, u are there talking of next year

SamuelAnyawu:
2017 budget to be released in 2019

2017 will, hopefully, be released in 2016. Be positive brother.

Ismahill:
I shake head 4 u......u can never make it wit D's attitude.....

You mean you "shake head for me" and that "u can never make it 'wit D's attitude"

Some people just come here commenting with hatred instead of applauding the Presidency for working so hard to deliever a good job. Some of you did not blame the NASS but the president after all the fraud the NASS members did into the budget you just want the president to sign it and take the blames later it won't work. 2017 budget is ready that's the point if them like make the NASS keep delaying the world is seeing them and by the time the President start using veto power the world won't even act like they see them then cos I believe that's what most powerful nation in the world want cos they know most of this NASS are richer than them and need to be punish for trying to continue to bring the nation down with their fraud.

Are you kidding me ! Why is the executive not taking responsibility of this budget of fraud? Imagine if that budget was passed without amends. God forbid bad things .

Is this a joke?

I'm really speechless, this mean 2018 burget will be ready this year august, then 2019 burget will be ready this year december.

A no fit laugh

Ok

If you wanna shoot, shoot dont talk

Like seriously?

According to PMB, the current delay is not caused by the executive!

We have a government that never takes responsibilities of the course of actions they do!

Will the zombies ever come to accept the fact that we have a blame game and irresponsible government?

Have dey tender 2016 budget

What are they saying

These guys seriously needs Jesus Christ..

What??

Do they think we stupid as they are? you haven't commence implementation of 2016 and you talking about 2017 , when you don't even know what the crude oil price will be and have not diversify the economy. what indices are you using to prepare 2017.

This government thinks from their ANUS

This must be a joke. We don't even know the status of 2016 budget yet somebody is already planning for 2017 budget. These set of leaders should understand that some part of Nigeria can read and should not presumes we are all "almajiries" who you can just tell anything and still scream "sai nonsense".

good

When they are still contemplating on signing the 2016 budget



This government is a huge joke

I think this is something like a joking stuff. we never see 2016 budget. but we 1 enter 2017

shame! shame!! shame!!!

Baba dey cry to be president since time immemorial....now he don be president, he just dey fool himself.

........mallam buhari, taking cluelessness to a whole new level.

All i can say is "Sai BaBa"

I am clapping for buhari...that type of clap you give when ur paddy is messing up buh u just wanna be nice

mercenary:
If you wanna shoot, shoot dont talk

Notable quote from Tuco Benedicto Pacifico, Juan Jamilo Ramirez

No need for budget. Buhari do not know what is budget. You cannot be talking of 2017 budget when u are not through with the 2016 budget. 1 chance