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President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the National Assembly for beginning the process of reviewing the nation’s budget processes.
The gave the commendation on Tuesday at the Summit on Inter-governmental/Inter-Party Relations and the Budget Reform Process for Sustainable Development in Nigeria.
The event was organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS).
Represented by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, the President while acknowledging the conflicts between the Executive and Legislature said that fiscal conflicts between the two arms were traditional.
He however called for better collaboration between both arms of government while commending the National Assembly for partnering the Ministry of Budget to review the budgeting process in Nigeria.
“I am delighted by the efforts of the National Assembly in pushing for a reform in our budgetary process to entrench transparency and accountability, professionalism, greater citizen participation, and adherence to strict guidelines and timelines.
“We look forward to the passage of the Budget Process Bill because we are of the firm conviction that a credible budget process is the first step towards ensuring that the budget is developmentally driven.
“I am aware that the Budget Process Bill is a result of collaboration between the National Assembly and the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
“Indeed, the budget is one area where there must be heightened and continuous engagement between the legislature and the executive.
“For whereas the executive implements the budget, the legislature plays a central role in the pre-budgeting process and more critically in oversighting government spending and ensuring that actions and policies implemented by the Government and other public institutions are effectively implemented.
“Owing to this important relationship between the two arms of government, avenues for interaction in the budget process have been expanded and it is hoped that the collaboration will continue to grow,” he said.
Buhari restated the commitment of the present administration in building the nation’s economy and bringing development to the people.
He said that the provision and modernisation of infrastructure, specifically, railway system, roads and power, across the length and breadth of this country was a priority for the administration.
He added that it was in view of the goal that the Executive earmarked N2.18 trillion in the 2017 budget, being about 30 percent of the budget, for spending on public projects.
He however appealed to the National Assembly to collaborate with the Executive in allocating funds to critical projects rather than approving smaller projects that would not have meaningful impact.
“Indeed, the National Assembly and the Executive can do much more in this regard to not only ensure increased spending on capital projects but also to avoid fragmentation of the budget into a glut of small projects which do not have any tangible final impact on the economy or national development.
“This is even more critical where the appeal to small projects for their political capital may be great.
“There must be a consensus by both the legislature and the executive on certain projects that are critical to real development. The task of nation building must be a collective one and this sometimes requires making ‘personal’ sacrifices,” he said.
He called on the National Assembly to partner the executive to further reduce existing inefficiencies in public expenditures and raise non-oil revenue while also fighting corruption.
He added that a constructive relationship between the three arms of government was essential to effectively maintain the constitution and the rule of law.
Speaking in an address of welcome, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang harped on the need for legislature-executive partnership.
He said that the barometer for measuring the relationship between the two arms of government was budget process adding that a good relationship will translate to a good budget appropriation and implementation.
He commended NILS for its commitment to improving the tenets of democracy, adding that such a summit will further bridge any existing gaps between the two arms of government.
