Buhari withholds assent to 2016 budget as NASS fails to send details
Thu Mar 31, 2016 08:36:am National
2.2K By sosa hills
There are strong indications of uncertainty and dissent over the 2016 Budget estimates approved by the National Assembly last Thursday as President Muhammadu Buhari may not be signing the Appropriation Bill into law any time soon following the senate's refusal to send details of the budget to his office.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, the Appropriation Committee Chairman insisted that the presidency has no ground whatsoever to throw stones at the National Assembly on the account of the delay in the transmission of budget details.
Hon. Jibrin (APC, Kano) explained that the National Assembly is doing its best to address the details, adding that it would be ready in the next one to two weeks.
The lawmaker, who said such is a normal scenario everywhere, added "we have passed the budget and at the moment, we are working on the details."
Asked if the National Assembly is taking responsibility for the delay in the presidential assent following the lack of details, Jibrin said:
"There is nothing that has happened so far that is abnormal and also, just as you have read it on pages of newspapers and of course, I have also read such insinuations, including the ones that we all read today which they alleged that it was an information from a top official of the Presidency."
He continued: "Let me put it straight and clear that I doubt that if such a statement could come from the presidency, knowing full well the challenges that we went through during the budgeting process.
"We at the National Assembly believe that this is the most difficult budget we have ever dealt with because you all recall that the MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework) came very, very late but we accepted it and we dealt with it. The budget itself came very late we accepted it and dealt with it.
"Even while We were dealing with all such realities, multiple budget details came up and we were able to manage the situation in a very friendly manner with the Executive Arm of Government, of course they took responsibility for that.
"Even while that was going on, during the budget defence by Standing Committees of the House, a lot of members of the Executive Arm of Government came to the National Assembly and disowned the details in their various budget lines.
"When all these things had taken place, we would all agree that it will be very difficult for anybody to sit down and start throwing stones at the National Assembly."
Jibrin added that both committees have been working day and night, "and we are doing our best. We have been very generous to the Executive as an Arm of Government and we strongly believe that with all these series of challenges in the course of working on the budget, I doubt very much that the Executive Arm of Government or the Presidency, knowing what has transpired in the last few months, will throw stones at the National Assembly."
He however explained that it is not abnormal for the President not to assent to the budget before seeing the details or after seeing the details.
He said: "We have instances of President Obasanjo signing the budget without the details; we came to Yar'adua who always preferred to see the details. So if President Muhammadu Buhari prefers to see the details before assenting to the Bill, I don't think we should make a big deal out of it. It's absolutely normal."
Addressing newsmen yesterday, the Appropriation Committee Chairman insisted that the presidency has no ground whatsoever to throw stones at the National Assembly on the account of the delay in the transmission of budget details.
Hon. Jibrin (APC, Kano) explained that the National Assembly is doing its best to address the details, adding that it would be ready in the next one to two weeks.
The lawmaker, who said such is a normal scenario everywhere, added "we have passed the budget and at the moment, we are working on the details."
Asked if the National Assembly is taking responsibility for the delay in the presidential assent following the lack of details, Jibrin said:
"There is nothing that has happened so far that is abnormal and also, just as you have read it on pages of newspapers and of course, I have also read such insinuations, including the ones that we all read today which they alleged that it was an information from a top official of the Presidency."
He continued: "Let me put it straight and clear that I doubt that if such a statement could come from the presidency, knowing full well the challenges that we went through during the budgeting process.
"We at the National Assembly believe that this is the most difficult budget we have ever dealt with because you all recall that the MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework) came very, very late but we accepted it and we dealt with it. The budget itself came very late we accepted it and dealt with it.
"Even while We were dealing with all such realities, multiple budget details came up and we were able to manage the situation in a very friendly manner with the Executive Arm of Government, of course they took responsibility for that.
"Even while that was going on, during the budget defence by Standing Committees of the House, a lot of members of the Executive Arm of Government came to the National Assembly and disowned the details in their various budget lines.
"When all these things had taken place, we would all agree that it will be very difficult for anybody to sit down and start throwing stones at the National Assembly."
Jibrin added that both committees have been working day and night, "and we are doing our best. We have been very generous to the Executive as an Arm of Government and we strongly believe that with all these series of challenges in the course of working on the budget, I doubt very much that the Executive Arm of Government or the Presidency, knowing what has transpired in the last few months, will throw stones at the National Assembly."
He however explained that it is not abnormal for the President not to assent to the budget before seeing the details or after seeing the details.
He said: "We have instances of President Obasanjo signing the budget without the details; we came to Yar'adua who always preferred to see the details. So if President Muhammadu Buhari prefers to see the details before assenting to the Bill, I don't think we should make a big deal out of it. It's absolutely normal."
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