Finally! Comprehensive details of 2016 budget sent to President Buhari
– The NASS committees have transmitted details of 2016 budget to President Buhari for reviewing
– The lawmakers correct all the inconsistencies, mistakes, omissions and padding in the document
Buhari presented the budget in December last year
The National Assembly has finally sent the comprehensive details of 2016 budget to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The details were submitted to the clerk of the National Assembly for onward transmission to the country’s leader.
The chairmen of the Appropriation Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, Danjuma Goje and Abdulmumin Jibrin correspondingly, in a statement unveiled on April 6, Wednesday, thanked Nigerians for their patience and understanding.
They said it took their committees extra weeks to get the details ready so they could correct all the inconsistencies, mistakes, omissions and padding in the document.
READ ALSO: Budget awaits Buhari’s assent
The statement reads in part: “Being the most important economic policy tool of government, the budget provides a comprehensive statement of our priorities as a nation.
“And as representatives of the people, the National Assembly remains the appropriate place to ensure that the details of such a document best match our national goals and aspirations.
“Therefore, what we have been doing in these past few weeks is to balance the projections for revenue against the estimates for expenditure based on the reality of our situation today.
“Unfortunately, that task has been made very difficult by the sloppy manner in which the 2016 Appropriation Bill was prepared by the executive such that many of the officials who came before our various committees practically disowned the inputs from their own departments and ministries.
“In most instances, and across several agencies, the bill that was initially presented to us failed in many respects to connect with the policy thrust of the government and the needs of our people.
“That is aside the fact that most of the figures simply did not just add up. It was one of the most controversial budgets that ever came to the National Assembly from the Executive.
READ ALSO: Senate passes 2016 budget
“Fortunately, President Muhammadu Buhari, who we must commend for showing leadership, intervened and that helped in resolving what had become a serious logjam.
“Now that the 2016 budget has been passed, our next role is to add value to the process through legislative oversight functions that enable us to ensure adherence to priorities while monitoring effective allocation of resources. But there is a lesson that should not be lost on the executive given the current experience.”
President Buhari, who presented budget in December last year, said in the United States that he would not sign the 2016 Appropriation Bill unless he critically reviewed it.
The national document was passed into law by the National Assembly last week.
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