The committee also declared that today is the final day of budget reports collection from committees. Others invited by the Committee are; Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, and Director General, Budget Office of the Federation. The meeting is part of efforts toward addressing grey areas relating to alleged infractions and padding observed by various standing committees during interface with ministers and heads of Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
While giving update on the presentation of the budget so far, Chairman House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, confirmed that the budget proposals of the MDAs being presented by all the standing committees have been harmonised with their Senate counterparts. “Since by tomorrow (today), we will finish taking the reports, we have agreed that we will invite the Minister of Budge and Planning, Minister of Finance, the Accountant -General of the Federation, the Director of Budget Office and Central Bank Governor and engage them extensively on the entire budget.
“We also have pending issues on the 2015 budget, so they have to come with 2015 budget performance and then we will go into special session,” Jibrin stated. He also directed the Clerk of the Committee to liaise with the office of the Clerk of the House to access the members’ data base for easy dispatch of message to all the 360 members and various committees on the 25th February deadline for final submission and consideration of the MDAs budget.
In a communication from the Appropriations Committee read at the opening of the plenary session yesterday, Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, directed chairmen of all the standing committees to submit and defend their MDAs budget within 24 hours. Out of the 97 standing committees, only 15 have so far submitted and defended their budget before the Jibrin-led Appropriations Committee.
Considering the enormous work before the committee, Jibrin informed all the members that the last session is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m. would start by 8.p.m. Briefing journalists, Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, said by this directive, the House was making deliberate effort to get the budget passed in good time. He said the House would ensure that the budget is passed by second week of March, or at most, before Easter.
“We are committed to ensuring that the budget is passed before the middle of March or before the Easter break,” Namdas said. The Speaker also yesterday assured the budget would be passed by the end of March. “Hopefully by the end of next month, we will have the 2016 budget ready,” he said while receiving in audience Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, in his office. Dogara said although, there were some imperfections in the budget, the lawmakers would ensure that it would impact positively on the lives of Nigerians. He said lawmakers were aware of the responsibilities placed on them in making sure they scrutinise and certify a good budget and that they were liaising with heads MDAS to produce a wholesome document.
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