Senate president Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, December 5, warned heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDA) to keep to the schedule for the Defence of their allocations in the 2024 budget Appropriation Bill before relevant committees of the National Assembly or face dire punitive measures.
Akpabio gave the warning in his speech before declaring open a one-retreat on the 2024 budget organized by the Senate committee on appropriation, in Abuja.
While commending the Senate panel for the initiative, Akpabio said the event was meant to open up the 2024 budget process for stakeholders’ engagement and feedback.
Akpabio said: “I will specifically commend all relevant state and non-state actors for their interests and sacrifices in ensuring that these participatory processes of public engagements, which are geared towards a better outcome of our law-making are smoothly executed.
“There is no doubt that various stakeholders would want their opinions heard by those in power. Indeed, this is a key element in democracy, especially when it concerns a vital issue like the national budget of a nation dealing with the allocation of national resources.
“The proper use of the national budget is critical to the economic development of any country, and it is even more so for a nation like ours, where our economy needs urgent stimulation to address myriad challenges.
“We understand that the budget is about fiscal targets, resource allocation, public expenditure policy, productivity, and efficiency.
“We also understand that the process is one of passage, mobilization, and execution, as well as effective monitoring and evaluation.
“However, let me state clearly that the National Assembly will not tolerate a lackadaisical attitude from the government, functionaries in all MDAs about issues surrounding their defences of submissions, and our resolve to maintain the January-December budget cycle.
“The consequences may not be palatable for the official or the agency in the eventual passage of the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
As the invited stakeholders and the Committee settle down to this meeting, I urge you all to be open-minded, honest, and factual in your deliberations.
He said: “We have to understand that we have a common goal, which is to drastically improve the socio-economic condition of our people in the shortest period with the budget of Renewed Hope.”
On his part, the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, explained how collaboration between the legislature and the executive assisted in raising the country’s revenue projection this year.
Barau said the country’s revenue projection was increased following the collaboration between the legislature and the executive.
“I am very happy and everyone here should be happy in terms of our performance in the revenue target for 2023. I want to say here that I am the happiest. I say so because what we have as our revenue target for 2023 was a product of collaboration between the executive and legislature.
“When the executive in 2022 brought forward its proposal in terms of revenue projection for 2023, the figure was less than what we have as a target.
“But our finance committee did a very good job. I was able to move several revenue items forward. And there was an argument that came forward with the ministry of finance that they could not actualize. But later we agreed to increase the revenues substantially, both oil and non-oil revenues and now we are able to realize that.
“So I am very happy because then there was doubt as to how we could realize the target. So, we said over time that the budget process is collaborative. A process that is built on dialogue and understanding or negotiation.
“Now, if we had not given the room for negotiation in terms of our revenue projection at that time, the nation would have suffered. Because this revenue is what we have gotten, we are very lucky to harvest that revenue.
“I am very happy because I was in front of that argument, and I was supported by the chairman committee of finance then, while I was chairing the committee on appropriation.
“So over to you Chairman Committee of Finance. You need to do more work to look at loopholes, and leakages that are there. It is left for you to go round and check. Use your capability to make sure the revenues that executives are not able to see, you should be able to see them so that you can harvest them and we will be able to utilize them for the development of our country,” he said.
The chairman of the Senate committee on appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola, in his opening remarks, said the session was meant to set a template for the speedy consideration and passage of the Appropriation Bill, christened “Budget of Renewed Hope” to maintain the already established January – December budget cycle as well as ensure an impactful budget in the coming year.
He insisted that it is possible to pass the bill before the end of the year through joint sittings of National Assembly committees for budget consideration and deliberation with concerned MDAs invited to the event.
2024 Budget: Akpabio Reads Riot Act To MDAs That Failed To Defend Allocation
