Budget 2016 full of errors, can't be passed - NASS
Wed Feb 10, 2016 09:47:am National
6.2K By sosa hills
Shocked by the errors and over-bloated allocations in the in the 2016 Budget, the National Assembly has deferred its passage.
After reviewing the complaints arising from errors and conflicting figures in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, the two arms of the National Assembly, NASS, yesterday, declared,that the document could no longer be passed on February 25 as earlier promise.
Addressing journalists at a media briefing, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, said the joint committees have discovered irregularities in the figures arising from the budget defence of the two chambers and felt that Nigerians must know of the development.
He explained that the joint committee had to make its experiences from the ongoing budget defence public in view of the conflicts arising from the exercise.
Goje said: "We observed instances that are being reported from the beginning of the budget submission and there are lots of controversies surrounding the budget. We feel that we have to come here, interact with you, make some clarifications so that Nigerians will know the correct situation regarding the 2016 Budget," he explained.
He continued: "We designed a timetable for the consideration and passage of the budget and that we will pass the budget on February 25, 2016, but as you are all aware, a lot of issues have come up and gladly so, even the Executive arm of government has also come out to accept the fact that there has been a lot of errors in the budget.
"Again, during the budget defence, a lot of issues based on the padding of the budget arising from over bloated overheads and in some instances cases of over bloated personnel costs. But generally there have been a lot of issues. The Appropriation Committee would look at these issues after the whole budget defence to do a very thorough work aimed at doing a proper cleanup of the budget."
The lawmaker noted that the two chambers would need more time to look at the budget with a view to coming up with a workable budget.
"We have to liaise with all the stakeholders to enable us pass the budget that is implementable. A budget that is looked at from the perspective of the legislature and also acceptable to the Executive arm of government.
"Again, in terms of capital expenditure, there are complaints coming from different quarters arising from the imbalance from the capital allocation and of course, disagreement among the ministers and civil servants in the various ministries that we have witnessed during the period of budget defence," he said.
After reviewing the complaints arising from errors and conflicting figures in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, the two arms of the National Assembly, NASS, yesterday, declared,that the document could no longer be passed on February 25 as earlier promise.
Addressing journalists at a media briefing, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, said the joint committees have discovered irregularities in the figures arising from the budget defence of the two chambers and felt that Nigerians must know of the development.
He explained that the joint committee had to make its experiences from the ongoing budget defence public in view of the conflicts arising from the exercise.
Goje said: "We observed instances that are being reported from the beginning of the budget submission and there are lots of controversies surrounding the budget. We feel that we have to come here, interact with you, make some clarifications so that Nigerians will know the correct situation regarding the 2016 Budget," he explained.
He continued: "We designed a timetable for the consideration and passage of the budget and that we will pass the budget on February 25, 2016, but as you are all aware, a lot of issues have come up and gladly so, even the Executive arm of government has also come out to accept the fact that there has been a lot of errors in the budget.
"Again, during the budget defence, a lot of issues based on the padding of the budget arising from over bloated overheads and in some instances cases of over bloated personnel costs. But generally there have been a lot of issues. The Appropriation Committee would look at these issues after the whole budget defence to do a very thorough work aimed at doing a proper cleanup of the budget."
The lawmaker noted that the two chambers would need more time to look at the budget with a view to coming up with a workable budget.
"We have to liaise with all the stakeholders to enable us pass the budget that is implementable. A budget that is looked at from the perspective of the legislature and also acceptable to the Executive arm of government.
"Again, in terms of capital expenditure, there are complaints coming from different quarters arising from the imbalance from the capital allocation and of course, disagreement among the ministers and civil servants in the various ministries that we have witnessed during the period of budget defence," he said.
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