NASS Submits 2016 Budget Details To Presidency, Says Plan Is Implementable

President Muhammadu Buhari

• Buhari orders customs, FIRS to generate revenue to sustain fiscal proposal
The National Assembly yesterday finally submitted the details of the 2016 Appropriation Bill worth ₦6.06 trillion to the presidency.

The Guardian report continues:

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Dr. Abdulmumini Jibrin submitted the clean copy of the budget details to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari immediately.

Jibrin who stated that the National Assembly would keep its fingers crossed on whether the president would assent to the bill or not described the budget as an implementable document.

Meanwhile, Buhari has ordered the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Customs Service to generate the major part of the over ₦6.08 trillion 2016 budget to sustain the nation’s economy following the fall in crude oil price.

To this end, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Ahmed Hameed Ali (rtd) has tasked the personnel of the Customs Service all over the country, to increase their performance in revenue generation with the ultimatum of aim of meeting the mandate given by Buhari on the nation’s revenue.

Though Jibrin did not shed light on the details of the budget, he disclosed that the National Assembly altered part of the proposal by the Executive in line with powers conferred on them by the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Thanking Nigerians for their patience, he stated that with the completion of work on the details of the budget, Nigerians should rest assured of delivery of democracy dividends in the coming days.

He said: “We have done a good job but of course you know the challenges we have to go through but we have gone through that over and over to ensure everything is okay with the budget. We have done the very best that we can and we would continue to plead with Nigerians to be patient. We do know what people are going through and we share their pains. We just want Nigerians to understand that this year is a completely different year.”

Reminded of Buhari’s position that the budget must be returned to him as was proposed to the National Assembly, he said: “We have worked on the details. Of course there are inputs of lawmakers in the details and just like every other year you would always have a situation where when it comes to the details you are faced with what the executive arm wants and what the lawmakers want.

“The Appropriation Committee is to find a middle ground between both but I think the budget we just submitted with my colleagues in the Senate is an implementable budget and to a large extent we believe that it is in line with the policy thrust of the government.”

In a joint statement issued by both the Appropriation Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, the lawmakers enjoined Buhari to abide strictly by the provision of the Fiscal Responsibility Act which stipulates that the appropriation bill be presented early so that there could be sufficient time for interactive sessions between the executive and the legislature before the commencement of committee hearings.

This they contended is to avoid some of the controversies that dogged this year’s budget and add value to the entire process.

Ali spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday while concluding his tour of the Oyo/Osun Command of the Customs Service. Ali, who visited Saki, Oyo State office of the command to assess the facilities at the border town, was accompanied on the fact-finding tour, by the Controller of Oyo/Osun Command, Mr. Temitope Ogunkua and other senior officers from the headquarters, Abuja.

The Customs boss, however, noted that in order to achieve the mandate, the welfare of the officers and men of the service must be improved.

While expressing optimism that both the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS and the Customs Service could achieve the revenue target of the nation, Ali also stressed the need for staff motivation and provision of infrastructure.

His words: “We expect nothing but the optimum in terms of performance .We are working assiduously towards increasing our performance. At present, the customs and the FIRS remain the major source of revenue for the Federal Government.

“Price of oil has gone so low that we can no longer be dependent on oil. Solid minerals have not been developed to the level that they will sustain us.

So, the only source of stable revenue for the Federal Government is the FIRS and the customs. It is not a matter of choice. It is a must that we step up our performance in order to garner the revenue needed to sustain this nation. So, we have no choice.”

Buhari Gets Budget Details Today

Nigeria's National Assembly

Daily Trust reports that the National Assembly has finally completed work on details of the 2016 budget and is expected to present it to President Muhammadu Buhari today.

The budget details were presented to the Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa by the chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives committees on appropriation at about 5pm yesterday.

Correspondents observed that the submission was done behind closed-doors.
Maikasuwa will in turn send the 1,800 page document to President Buhari today.

President Buhari laid the Appropriation Bill before a joint sitting of the National Assembly on December 22.

But shortly after that the budget became enmeshed in controversy due the inconsistencies, errors, omissions and padding of figures.

This led to the sacking of the budget director and many of his staff by the President.

After about two months delay the two chambers of the National Assembly passed the budget on March 23 and sent it to the President the next day for his assent.
But a presidency official later said what was sent were the budget highlights and that the President would not assent to it until the details were returned to him.

He said there were suspicions the lawmakers were tinkering with the budget and that the President would study the details very well before appending his signature.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the submission of the document, the chairman of the House committee on appropriation, Rep Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano) confirmed they had made changes in the budget.

He said: “We have just submitted the details of the 2016 appropriation bill to the Clerk to the National Assembly for onward transmission to the executive arm of government.
He said the budget might not be exactly the same way the president sent it to them as there were inputs from lawmakers.

“Just like any other year, you always have to come to the situation where there is what the executive arm of government wants and what the legislative arm wants.

“The case of the appropriation committee is to continue to find a middle ground between both. But I want to say that the budget we just signed with my colleague in the Senate, to the best of our knowledge, is an implementable budget and to a large extend we believe that it is properly aligned with the vision of the government.
“It is important to reiterate that it took us extra weeks to get the details ready not because there was anything untoward going on but rather so we could correct all the inconsistencies, errors, omissions and padding in the document submitted to us in December last year.

“Fortunately, President Muhammadu Buhari, who we must commend for showing leadership, intervened and that helped in resolving what had become a serious logjam.
“Some officials in the executive branch have also been removed from their duty posts because of these glaring lapses.

“That happened because the president took direct responsibility and got involved in the process, not only to ensure synergy between the executive and the legislature but also so that we could both arrive at a budget that is implementable for the good of all Nigerians.”
But when contacted, the special assistant to the president on House of Reps matters Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, said although he was informed that the budget details were submitted to the clerk, the usual practice was for the clerk to transmit same to the president by himself.

He added that they would wait and see what would happen today when they resume work at the National Assembly.

He said the president would thoroughly examine the details before assenting to it.
There are lots of expectations across the country about this year’s budget and the delays had caused so much concern to Nigerians.

So many provisions were made in the budget aimed at boosting the economy and creating employment.

The capital vote has an unprecedented ₦2 trillion allocation while the sum of ₦500 billion is provided for social welfare.

The government last month announced it would inject a total of ₦350 billion in the economy in the next few months.