Strong indications emerged on Tuesday that the 2018 budget may be passed towards the end of the first quarter of next year.
This followed suggestions by senators that the 2017 budget be extended till March 31st, 2018.
This, legislators argue, was to allow for better implementation of the 2017 budget and give the Approriations Committee enough time to consider the budget.
Recall that the Senate had suspended plenary on December 5, 2017 to enable its standing committees – sub-committees to the Appropriations Committee – to hold budget defence with Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs). However, very few MDAs defended their budgets in the two-week break.
Although President Muhammadu Buhari had in his budget presentation to a joint session of the National Assembly last month, called for passage of the budget by December 31, 2017 to return to a more predictable January to December budget cycle, lawmakers blamed its inability to approve the 2018 budget estimates on poor implementation of the 2017 Appropriation Act on the Executive.
BusinessDay had earlier reported that the passage of 2018 budget estimates in 2017 was unrealistic.
Disturbed by the poor implementation of the 2017 budget, lawmakers threatened to suspend the consideration of 2018 budget, until the 2017 budget attains over 60 percent performance.
They suggested that until the budget attains the expected level of implementation, the 2018 budget should not be considered by the various standing committees of the Senate.
At the end of the long debate at the resumption of the upper legislative chamber on Tuesday, no official position was taken on the matter.
In his contribution, Deputy Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan said: “When we suspended plenary for two weeks, the intention was to enable committees work. They are supposed to report progress in order to enable the Senate pass the budget before the end of the year or early next year.
“When we suspended plenary, it was with the idea that the committees will swing into action so we can have a tentative date to pass the budget. From what I have seen, we might run into troubled waters. If we have not appreciated what the problems are, it is important for Nigerians to come here and understand what the problem is.
“The template we are using will continue to create problems for us. It was created during the military era. The template cannot work in our country today. From reports we have had, it is obvious that we have problems. We need to know what the problems are. If we have a 2017 budget that has not been executed today and we are considering the 2018 budget, it means there is a problem.
“The President told us that the 2017 budget was going to achieve at least 40 percent performance. Today, that has not happened. We need to lay this issue and discuss it. Let us put the facts before the Executive and show Nigerians the difficulties we are facing.”
Lawmakers who took turns to condemn the performance of the budget, said some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have only attained 15 to 20 percent performance, despite assurances that improvements will be made.
They claimed that a number of agencies are yet to get releases to pay salaries and fund recurrent components of the 2017 budget, despite claims by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, that N750 billion had been released.
In his submission, Barnabas Gemade, suggested that the consideration of the 2018 budget be suspended. He also argued that the lifespan of the current 2017 budget be extended till end of March of 2018, while Mohammed Hassan suggested that a small technical committee be set up by the Senate to come up with a standard format on how to handle the 2018 budget.
“In defending the budget, MDAs are supposed to bring their 2017 budget performance to committees. When you look at the budget proposals brought here, many things captured in the 2017 budget were not rolled over. Committees and MDAs need to do some work.
“We have to set a date for the implementation of the 2017 budget based on the borrowing plans we approved. I therefore propose that we set March 31st for the 2017 budget to be implemented before we can start working on the 2018 budget,” Gemade said.
In the same vein, Solomon Adeola wondered why the Senate should consider and approve the 2018 budget, when the performance of the 2017 budget is unknown.
He proposed that the Minister of Finance, Adeosun be summoned to brief the Senate on the poor performance of the 2017 budget.
He stated: “How can we approve the 2018 budget without knowing the performance of 2017 budget? This is abnormal. From the recent budget defences, it is obvious that MDAs are not ready. Year in, year out, the budget performance is low. Last week, a Minister was asked to excuse lawmakers because he did come prepared. He did not come with the necessary documents to defend the budget of his Ministry.
“We need to show to Nigerians that the National Assembly is ready to approve the budget. Remember that the President during the presentation of the 2018 budget, said the performance of the 2017 budget will attain at least 40 percent. But that has not been done. I am suggesting that we invite the Minister of Finance to brief us on the performance of the 2017 budget. We need to be told.
“Remember how the Executive submitted the MTEF and withdrew it again. It submitted it and withdrew it again. It shows the lack of seriousness on the part of economic managers of the country.”
Also, the Chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee, Matthew Urhoghide, suggested that the ongoing consideration of the 2018 budget be suspended pending when the 2017 budget will attain a certain level of performance.
At the end of the debate, Senate President Bukola Saraki who presided over the session, did not subject the suggestions raised to voice vote.
He, however, maintained that if the Executive refuses to roll over the 2017 budget, it will be a disaster.
“Truly, it is very disheartening and disappointing because we know how much we have put into the budget process. How can anybody who is responsible travel at this period when the budget defence is ongoing?
“The budget has not been implemented. We cannot be magicians. We just have to work and give a good budget to Nigerians. The executive really needs to sit up. If they refuse to roll over the 2017 projects into 2018, it is a disaster,” he concluded.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
