• Saraki summoned to Aso Villa
• Presidency denies withdrawal of fiscal document
• NASS may amend constitution over budgeting system

FOR two hours, senators locked themselves up inside the hallowed chamber of the Senate expressing anger over the unofficial manner in which the 2016 budget document was allegedly given back to the Executive for review.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on December 22, 2015 presented to the joint session of the National Assembly a budget proposal of N6.08 trillion for 2016.

But few days after, the president was said to have been embarrassed by the bloated nature of some aspects of the budget, a situation that warranted an immediate review of the document.

Presidency denies withdrawing budget

The presidency has, however, denied withdrawing the 2016 budget, saying that though only the president has the power to do so, he has not exercised such power. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in his twitter handle said, “Nobody except the president can withdraw the budget. As far as we know, he hasn’t done that.
The copies in their hundreds have been delivered to both chambers of the National Assembly. By tradition, once the budget is submitted, it ceases to be our property. Enquiries as to where it is should be directed to the appropriate quarters.”

Saraki summoned to Presidential Villa

Meanwhile, Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja for over one hour. The Senate president declined comments on the budget, when confronted by State House correspondents, and it was not clear whether Saraki came to see the president over the missing documents which Buhari personally laid before a joint sitting of the legislature on December 22, 2015.

In another development, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has stated that there may be need for the National Assembly to amend certain segments of the 1999 Constitution in a bid to ensuring a predictable budgeting system in the country.

Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, was said to have drawn the attention of senators to a developing story around the 2016 budget document, that the official document as presented by President Buhari could no longer be traced.

Senators were said to have been angered that the budget document had disappeared, prompting calls for swift investigation into the matter.

Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio was said to have expressed dismay at the manner the document was handled by National Assembly officials. Accordingly, he supported calls for the interrogation of key members of the National Assembly bureaucracy to get to the root of the situation.

Saraki was said to have had tough times controlling the rowdy situation that ensued following which he was reportedly invited by Buhari to the Presidential Villa.

However, a source within the National Assembly leadership expressed reservation about the outburst of senators at the closed session.

He said: “How can they claim ignorance on the disappearance of the document now? The presidency could not have moved into the National Assembly to take the document if no deal was struck with the leadership of the National Assembly. We have always heard there was a plan to delay the budget debate to allow the Executive sort itself out. The senators reaction is funny since it has been exposed that the budget is being delayed to allow the presidency effect adjustments to the budget proposal.”

But when it emerged that what transpired at the closed-door session had been leaked to reporters, Ndume suddenly came out with a new version of his story, saying the budget could not be missing.

“The budget cannot be missing. One copy can be laid, a symbolic copy but the budget document will be in custody of both chambers. It cannot be stolen, it cannot be missing. Once the budget is laid in the National Assembly, it has become the property of the National Assembly.”

Reacting to the sudden summoning of Saraki to the Villa, Ndume said:”Saraki’s visit to the Villa is for the Senate to know the president’s priority. We want to see how we can fast-track the passage of the budget before the end of February. What is before the Senate is a proposal. Once the president signs, it cannot be amended. We can turn the budget upside down but it cannot be missing. If it is online you can reproduce the budget so how can it be missing?‎”

Ndume’s earlier revelations contradicted the positions of the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and her Information and Culture counterpart, Lai Mohammed, who categorically told State House correspondents after the first Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that the budget as presented by the president was intact.

Both Mohammed and Adeosun had denied media reports, especially in the social media that the budget had been withdrawn, owing allegedly to what had been described as inflated figures in some of the sectoral allocations.

Adeosun, had, however, noted that the normal interactive passage of the budget was going to take place, whereby ministers and heads of agencies defend their budgetary allocations during which whatever necessary amendments could be made to the budget since the National Assembly is not a rubber stamp.

NASS may amend constitution over budgeting system

Addressing members at the resumed session yesterday, the Speaker said Section 81(1) of the Constitution may be amended to read: “The President shall cause to be prepared and laid before each House of the National Assembly not later than 90 days before the end of the financial year, estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the Federation for the following financial year,” instead of the any time optionality proviso used in the extant section 81(1).

According to Dogara, submitting a budget, at least three months before the end of a financial year is consistent with international best practices and allows the parliament enough time to scrutinise and pass it the same early, before the commencement of a new financial year.

“This would do away with the current provision that allows the president to present the budget at ‘any time’ before the end of the financial year.

“Furthermore, Section 82 of the Constitution may also need to be amended to reduce the period allowed for pre-budget expenditure authorisation by Mr. President from six months to three months, as this distorts the budget process,” he submitted.

Dogara in the welcome remarks also noted that the crashing prices of crude oil in the international market and the resultant impact on the economy should be the realities that would shape views and decisions as members consider the 2016 budget currently before the National Assembly.