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Use oversight to ensure implementation of budget, Saraki tells senators

By Segun Olaniyi, Abuja
24 March 2016   |   2:46 am
Senate President, Bukola Saraki has tasked the various standing committees of the National Assembly to ensure full implementation of the 2016 budget through effective use of their oversight duties.

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Senate President, Bukola Saraki has tasked the various standing committees of the National Assembly to ensure full implementation of the 2016 budget through effective use of their oversight duties.

Saraki gave the remark after the passage of the 2016 Appropriation Bill by the Senate in Abuja.
He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure an effective implementation of the budget, while also calling on the President to ensure an early presentation of the next year appropriation bill to the National Assembly.

He pledged that the Senate would immediately commence the amendment of the Public Procurement Bill currently before the National Assembly as a way of aiding the effective implementation of the budget.
According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Senate President on Print Media, Chuks Okocha, Saraki said, “The budget reflects efficient and equitable allocation of resources to reduce the challenges that we are all aware of. This budget is a product of bipartisan engagement, commitment and patriotism.

“It gives me great joy to commend and appreciate all the efforts that all of you, my colleagues, have put in. It is the duty of the Executive arm to ensure full implementation of this budget as part of the campaign to bring succuor to our people. While implementing it, we charge the Executive to also consider the need to support locally produced goods in order to help our economy.

“We have all seen the earlier hiccups in the beginning of the budget and we hope that by the time we are preparing the 2017 budget, the Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the Budget Office would improve their level of interaction. We also hope that government itself would bring the budget much earlier to give ample time for the legislature to do its job. It is very important that we do this.
Saraki continued: “I will also thank the Appropriation Committee and, of course, we have all noted the areas of omission and I hope the Executive will be able to address the different areas that we talked about.

“I also particularly observed that we have made an effort to reduce the size of the budget, in our own view, to reduce our deficit and also reduce our level of borrowing and as much as possible we all want a budget that is sustainable.

“We have played our part; the different committees should do their job now in the area of oversight to ensure that we have a budget that is fully implementable.

“Nigerians have been waiting for us to pass the budget; I think at this time too, the implementing agencies should ensure that they get to work quickly in implementing the budget. We on our part have one or two bills to consider like the Public Procurement Act so as to assist with easy implementation of the budget.”

2 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    It is not enough for the lawmakers to ask for the government to support locally made goods. it is a simple thing for the lawmakers to pass a law that required all MDA to source supply locally. To ensure that local contractors and suppliers get 95% of all contracts. To ban the use of imported vehicle by all MDA. They can pass a law that mandate all government contract to source 95% of their material locally, and use 100% local labor. This are the kind of laws that would help Nigeria. it is time for action not words.

  • Author’s gravatar

    How about you purchase all your vehicle from local vehicle makers.