The March 8 deadline set by the Senate for the passage of 2017 budget is no longer feasible, as the chairmen of the sub-committee on the Appropriation Committee tuesday complained that the three weeks set aside for budget defence had exposed fundamental flaws in the document.


At a closed-door session held between the principal officers of the Senate and all the committee chairmen tuesday, the senators said contrary to the belief that this year’s budget was better packaged than that of last year, the budget was actually a “mess”.

the sub-committee chairmen complained that the details of the budget had shown that several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) did not learn any lessons from the discrepancies that characterised the 2016 budget.

The chairmen were reported to have informed the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, that they could no longer meet the deadline set for the conclusion of the budget process because the document was characterised by inconsistencies, shortfalls in the spending for 2016 appropriations, and failure or inability of the MDAs to explain how the funds were disbursed.

the tale of woes by the committee chairmen compelled the Senate President to head for the Presidential Villa after the meeting yesterday to relay the Senate’s concern over the budget.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, was put on the spot on Monday when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance where she was confronted with the flaws in the budget.

The minister, it was learnt, was challenged over her failure to provide details of the budget proposal including the breakdown of the figures in the budget.

At the end of her meeting with the committee, she was told to come back with the budget details and breakdown of some proposed expenditure.

Among the details that the executive was accused of failing to provide, included proposals on the N500 billion proposed for the social intervention fund and N100 billion proposed for housing, among others.

However, it was also learnt that the minister did not show an understanding of the issues raised by the senators and felt that the Senate by its handling of the budget was attempting to usurp her power as the finance minister.

It was also learnt that the committee chairmen also decried the failure of a number of heads of MDAs to appear before the Senate committees and consequently complicated the budget process.

The MDA heads were alleged to have stayed away and opted to send representatives for fear of being put on the spot over allegations of budget padding.

The senators named the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, among the heads of MDAs who stayed away during the budget defence.

The highlights of the stalemate identified by senators during the budget defence included a sharp disagreement over N700 million in the budget by the Budget Office and Debt Management Office (DMO).

In the end, it was learnt that the meeting resolved that the sub-committees should carry out a lot of engagements with the MDAs with a view to helping them to clean up the discrepancies in the budget.

The senators’ submissions at the meeting appeared to have confirmed the report of civil society organisations submitted to the National Assembly last week that the budget was full of fraudulent and frivolous proposals.

A coalition of CSOs under the aegis of Citizen Wealth Platform (CWP) had at the opening of a three-day public hearing organised last week by the National Assembly on the 2017 budget, said it had uncovered a range of frivolous, inappropriate, unclear and wasteful expenditure proposals in the budget.

According to the group, a range of wasteful, duplicated and needless proposals, amounting to N151.536 billion had been identified in the budget which it wanted the National Assembly to expunge.

The group further reported that a number of proposals for which funds had been appropriated in 2016 budget were again smuggled into the 2017 budget.

On this basis, the committee chairmen were said to have reported yesterday that a number of questionable proposals found in the budget included fake items such as computers and other items that were duplicated.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/02/senators-say-2017-appropriation-bill.html

Is it because there is no padding ?

Sarrki ?


Forget !

Only God can help this country. Another padding process loading

sarrki:
Is it because there is no padding ?

This is funny.. Fashola's budget was padded by d finance ministry, or so he claims.. Oga Nigerians should seek cooperation btw both arms. This was how 2016 budget 4got to capture NYSC, HOUSE OFFICERS etc. The APC is yet to figure out how to plan budget!

The 2016 Budget was mistakenly padded, now the 2017 is 'mistakenly padded' too.

Is it not safe too say that PMB and APC are a mistake?!


(please GEJ apologists don't jump on this comment oh! his own mistake of a government is well documented. Nigerians who sincerely voted for PMB and the APC thinking they would offer a better government were grossly mistaken - We need NEW LEADERS Abeg!)


meanwhile OP
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/02/22/senators-say-2017-appropriation-bill-messier-than-2016-budget/

sarrki:
Is it because there is no padding ?

What other word can be more synonymous with padding if not MESSIER

sarrki:
Is it because there is no padding ?

I think your school Bayero University should be closed down and converted to an IDP camp or Arabic school since you are one of their best product