SAN FRANCISCO, September 27, (THEWILL) – The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Monday reiterated that the National Assembly has power to increase budgetary proposals submitted to it by the Executive, even as he harped on the need to complete ongoing projects before new ones are introduced, to curb wasteful spending.
Speaking while delivering a lecture themed: ‘Budget as Tool for Efficient Executive-Legislative Relations’ at a seminar organised by Orderpaper.ng in Abuja, he argued that “Those who contend that the National Assembly cannot increase the budget but can only reduce it are trying to import the British parliamentary law into a presidential system of government”.
While condemning the current budgetary system in the country, Dogara called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make full disclosure of the national budget size, including sources of revenue and expenditure of all government agencies.
“A situation where an approved budget is not allowed to operate for 12 months is constitutionally unacceptable. This is the main reason for failure of budget implementation every year and the cause of abandoned projects that litter the Nigerian landscape,” he said, requesting a critical look at financial year, to ensure a 12-month period is completed before another budget implementation begins.
The Speaker said: “It is as a result of all these observed anomalies and need for change and reform that I recently announced that the House will set up a Budget Reform Committee, to undertake a thorough and holistic review of all issues relating to the budget, to ensure due process, more transparency, better accountability, openness and value for money. This committee will comprise experts and professional organisations, and will work in liaison with the Senate and the Executive branch.”
On Section 318 of the Constitution, he stated that: “A situation where an approved budget is not allowed to operate for 12 months is constitutionally unacceptable. This is the main reason for failure of budget implementation every year and the cause of abandoned projects that litter the Nigerian landscape.
“When projects are not completed, the nation is terribly shortchanged, as the money and effort invested is lost. We must institute a compulsory mechanism that rolls over major projects that are not completed in one budget year into the following year’s budget. The current practice of not including ongoing projects in the following year’s budget is a huge waste of resources,” Dogara stated.
About the Author
