There’s a ray of hope that the impasse on the 2016 budget will soon be laid to rest soon, as President Muhammadu Buhari has formally communicated the identified grey areas in the controversial 2016 budget to the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Buhari via a letter addressed to Speaker Yakubu Dogara specifically requested for a meeting this week, to resolve the controversies trailing the 2016 budget unanimously passed by both chambers and awaiting his assent before implementation.
Recall that the chairman House Committee on Appropriations allegedly allocated contracts worth N4.3 billion to his constituency and that the N60 billion budget proposal for the Lagos-Calabar railway project was removed and re-channelled to some projects in the North.
It was also reported that additional 386 projects worth N12.6 billion were uncovered during the scrutiny of the budget of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Dogara also assured that the 2016 budget controversy would be resolved this week, just as he ruled out the possibility of overriding President Buhari’s power.
Dogara, who stated this while addressing a delegation of All Progressives Congress (APC) elders and stakeholders from Benue State, also restated that the Executive and the Parliament would not have any fight over their differences arising from the 2016 budget as passed by the National Assembly.
“We know that our people cannot wait forever for the budget and as a responsible government, we cannot afford to go sleep on this. As we speak to you, I know that the executive has sent their observations on the budget, areas they termed ‘grey areas.’
“We’ve taken delivery of that document, we are looking into it and in collaboration with the Senate, the entire National Assembly, we have arrived at a decision which I will not announce here because that one is for the ears of Mr. President only.
“It is in the overall national interest, we know that we have to find a solution and sooner than later, within this week, I believe that as leaders, having put on our thinking caps, we should be able to come up with a solution that will address this problem,” Dogara said.
On the power of appropriation, the Speaker argued National Assembly has exercised that constitutional right and privilege which is exclusively reserved to appropriate funds and transmitted it to the President for assent in the spirit of checks and balances principle.
“As we all know, a law requires the assent of the President, that is one of the instrumentalities of checks and balances that democracy guarantees and if it is not assented to after some time then the parliament can summon the courage if they can so find it to say they are overriding the veto powers of the president or say the bill will have to commence de novo.
“But in this situation we are not there, even there are discussions and people instigating a fight. We know that as leaders, our responsibility is not to fight. It is one government and this government will take the active collaboration of the judiciary, legislature and the executive to be able to deliver on the mandate. We cannot form an opposition within the same government. The Executive cannot constitute itself into an opposition within the system in the same government, neither can the Parliament, even though it is a bi-partisan one,” the speaker observed.
The speaker also gave the assurance that the present administration is committed to keeping up with its electoral promises, especially through the instrument of the budget, while urging the citizens to collaborate with the government to make it a success.
While giving update on the week-long legislative activities, Abdulrasak Namdas, chairman, House Committee on Public Affairs confirmed receipt of President Buhari’s letter.
He further explained that Dogara had carried out the mandate of the House to liaise with Presidency on the 2016 budget.
He however noted that the Senate and House needed to synergise to look into those gray areas conveyed by the President.
“I want to confirm to you that the Speaker actually meet with the President and right now we are in possession of a letter by the President identifying grey areas of the 2016 budget.
“As you all know, what ever we do in the House we receive concurrence from the Senate,” he said.
Namdas also stated that leaders of both chambers have meet on the matter and has agreed to meet with the President this week, stressing that “soon after that meeting the budget will be signed.”
