19th July, 2012
Desmond Utomwen/Abuja
The House of Representatives today took a hard stance on the inability of the executive to implement the 2012 budget urging President Goodluck Jonathan to improve or face sanctions.
It warned the coordinating minister for the economy and minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to stop forthwith the selective and outright violation of the budget aand release money to MDAs without delay.
This followed a motion titled “non-implementation of the 2012 budget” sponsored by the chairman, rules and business committee, Albert Sam-Tsokwa and twenty others.
Sam-Tsokwa had in his debate expressed worry that seven months into the 2012 fiscal year, the federal government’s implementation of the budget as reported by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the performance have been dismal.
He recalled that the 2012 national budget was passed with aggregate expenditure figure of N4.887 trillion including the N180 billion for the Subsidy Re-Investment Programme (SURE-P).
Speaker Tambuwal who presided over the session called on chairmen of various committees to brief the House on the level of performance and almost all gave a sordid picture.
Minority leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN, Lagos) had in his contribution warned that if the budget performance does not improve in the next two months, the lawmakers would have no option but to begin impeachment proceedings against the president.
According to Gbajabiamila, “President Goodluck Jonathan promised Nigerians a budget of transformation, but what we have is a budget of “abracadabra” and a “voodoo” economy.
“With great trepidation, I think it is time come September, if the budget is not implemented, we invoke and begin to draft article of impeachment against the president”
Briefing the House, chairman of the committee on approrpiation, John Enoh (PDP, Cross River) said insufficient release of funds by the finance ministry has hampered the implementation of the procurement process of many MDAs, a pointer being inability of various MDAs to release contract award letters.
“While the recurrent expenditure has kept pace with expectations, capital budget implementation seriously lags behind and leaves much to be desired.”
“Whereas majority of MDAs have reached advanced stages in the implementation of the procurement process, they are unable to release contract award letters as a result of insufficient funds released and or at all, which further exacerbated the crushing burden of accumulated debts.”
Other committee chairmen who briefed the House include that of finance, customs and excise, banking and currency, works, petroleum, agriculture and Niger Delta.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.