[size=13pt]Nigeria: Experts Back Senate On Budget Implementation[/size]
http://allafrica.com/stories/201208020142.html

As the row between the legislative arm of government and the presidency deepens, analysts have said it's high time a decisive move was made to halt the ugly-trend that has kept the real dividends of democracy from trickling down to the public.

Meanwhile, the presidency has said that the minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will appear before the Senate today to give details of the 2012 budget performance.

Minister of information Labaran Maku stated, after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, that Okonjo-Iweala, who doubles as the coordinating minister for the economy, was prepared to brief the Senate accurately on the budget performance to douse the controversy trailing it.

The minister said the federal government was committed to proper implementation of the 2012 budget and urged Nigerians not to generate unnecessary controversy over it.

"The minister of finance should be appearing before the Senate tomorrow (today) to clarify," Maku said. "It is better we stop the persistent controversies: legislature says this, executive says that. I think that it is really distracting the process of implementation of the budget.

According to experts, since the return of democracy in 1999, no government has ever implemented the yearly budget more than 75 per cent and wondered who has been benefiting from the selfish act as the poor masses continue to suffer deprivation.

According to them, so long as the National Assembly is not playing games with the budget issues, it is a commendable effort on their part to halt the trend that has deprived Nigerians of improved infrastructure.

Eze Onyekpere, lead director, Centre for Social Justice, who said somebody was playing games with the capital budget, insisted that only 11.9 per cent implementation has been achieved and not 56 per cent as asserted by the ministry of finance.

[b]Samir Gadio, an analyst with Standard Bank London, in an e-mail reply to LEADERSHIP enquiry, noted that the poor level of budget implementation has been a consistent problem in Nigeria.

"This is why we had been cautious about the increase in budgeted capital expenditure proposed by the National Assembly in this year's fiscal framework. That said, this certainly points to deficiencies in execution and administrative supervision, and even absorption capacity issues in some cases", said Gadio.

Gadio also noted that public sector efficiency remains problematic and the incentive to implement critical projects was questionable at times, though it is a general phenomenon in most developing countries.

"Even if a government wants to enthusiastically push through reforms or boost infrastructure development, the next constraint is typically the level of inertia and/or apathy among public servants who are actually expected to fulfil specific tasks. So the real question here is: how do you incorporate these concerns in the reform agenda and what is the best way to improve the effectiveness in public sector delivery?" he asked.[/b]

The director-general of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), John Isemede, however, remained neutral. He was of the opinion that the association cannot take sides or make comments yet because the finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has not stated her side of the story.

"Let's wait for her to appear before the National Assembly, and if she does not come, we can then make comments and take sides. But for now we are watching events as they unfold," he said.

According to Onyekpere, "The coordinating minister for the economy and the minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, informed Nigerians that N404bn has so far been released. Out of this amount, only N324 billion has been cash-backed.

The minister stated that only 56 per cent of this N324 billion has been utilised by ministries, departments and agencies of government; 56 per cent of this cash-backed sum is N181.44 billion and N181.44 billion as a percentage of the overall capital vote of N1.519 trillion amounts to a paltry 11.9 per cent."

To the average Nigerian who is a victim of sub-optimal governmental service delivery, he said, the threat of impeachment is like the icing on the cake while the main issue is the culture of poor capital budget implementation at the federal level.

"Since the return to civil rule in 1999, there has never been a year that the capital budget attained 75 per cent implementation.

This abnormal situation has become the norm and thus any challenge to the status quo for improvement is resisted by those who stand to benefit from the sufferings of the majority of Nigerians," he said.

. . .

. . . .

[b]Onyekpere regreted that while the capital budget implementation which touches on the lives of people was treated with levity and contempt, civil servants and political officeholders draw their full salaries and perks of office and also fully draw down the overheads. Failure to implement the capital budget amounts to economic sabotage, a declaration of fiscal war against the suffering majority who live on less than $2 a day, he noted.

According to him, with five months to the end of the year, if they continue to implement the capital budget at the ongoing pace of 11.9 per cent every three months, we would, by the most generous calculation, be doing about 36 per cent of the appropriated sum of N1.519tn at the end of the year.

"This would also represent a failure. Nigerians would not accept apologies this time round. The president should lead members of his executive arm to roll up their sleeves to ensure at least 99.99 per cent implementation come December 2012. Indeed, contrary to the assertion of Okonjo-Iweala that 100 per cent is not possible, I believe that it is possible and can be probable in the circumstances if, and only if, there is the political will."[/b]

He described as untenable the various excuses tendered by the executive for such non-implementation of the capital budget.

He maintained that, to get a proper understanding of the issue at hand, the facts will speak and they will reveal the truth because facts and figures, properly calculated, do not lie. According to the 2012 Appropriation Act posted on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation, the federal capital vote for 2012 is approximately N1.519 trillion.

However, the approved budget got presidential assent in the middle of April and, so far, the budget would have been implemented for three and half months by the end of July. Out of the overall capital vote, the minister of finance, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala informed Nigerians that N404 billion has so far been released. Out of this amount, only N324 billion has been cash-backed.

Going further, the minister stated that only 56 per cent of this N324 billion has been utilised by ministries, departments and agencies of government: 56 per cent of this cash-backed sum is N181.44 billion and N181.44 billion as a percentage of the overall capital vote of N1.519 trillion amounts to a paltry 11.9 per cent.

"So, when Nigerians are told of 56 percent capital budget implementation, it needs to be properly situated and understood because it is very easy for those who do not read between the lines to be misled by percentages that are not related to their contexts. By any scoring methodology, 11.9 per cent is not a weak pass but a total failure after three and half months of budget implementation," Onyekpere stated.

Okonjo-Iweala, UK PM, Liberian president 23 others in UN social panel

In another development, Okonjo-Iweala alongside President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia has been named in a 22-member panel to draft a new social agenda for the United Nations (UN).

Making the disclosure, secretary-general of the UN, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday unfolded the panel comprising a queen, a former president, a Nobel Peace prize winner and a corporate mogul to recommend new global social and environment goals.

According to Ban, the panel has within a year to draw up what he called "a bold" new development vision to replace the Millennium Development Goals whose mandate document is expected to lapse in 2015.

The other serving presidents named in the panel include Susilo Bambang Yudhoyon of Indonesia as well as Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain who is expected to head the panel.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201208020142.html

Defer Assessment Of 2012 Budget Performance To Year's End - Experts




Financial experts have urged the National Assembly (NASS) to properly assess the performance of the 2012 budget and its impact on Nigerians at the end of the year.

They spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, in Lagos, against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding the level of implementation of the 2012 budget.

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said on Monday that the government had achieved 56 per cent implementation of the 2012 budget.

Okonjo-Iweala also urged the NASS to be more interested in how much of the budget the government was able to implement.

However, when the Senate invited her on Thursday to an interactive session over the matter, the minister was unable to attend because of other official engagements.

Just like the minister, Mr Emmanuel Ijewere, former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), said that the NASS should be interested in how much of the budget government had implemented at the end of the year.

According to him, the NASS is not competent to state the percentage of the budget that has so far been implemented.

However, he noted that it was the duty of the legislature to keep an eye on the implementation of the budget.

The former ICAN president said that the NASS had no power to give what he described as rhetorical data or figure on budget implementation.

Ijewere, who said that criticisms of the budget would have no positive impact on the citizens, described the debate on its implementation as unnecessary diversion.

Hesaid that it would be better if the National Assembly could offer advice on how best the budget could be effectively implemented.

Ijewere said that what should be of greater concern to the NASS was how the budget would have a positive impact on the citizens in terms of basic infrastructure.

He urged the NASS to tell the government to improve on education, fix roads, and improve the power sector.

Dr Osi Itsede, former Director of the West African Institute of Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), said the NASS should be concerned with the impact of the budget on the Nigerian masses.

Itsedesaid that the issue of what percentage of the 2012 budget had been implemented should not be of concern for now.

He said it was the Federal Ministry of Finance that had the sole right to state the level of implementation of the budget.

``World over, the Ministry of Finance has the responsibility of managing the nation’s economy,’’ he said.

Mr Oluyombo Onafowokan, a lecturer in the Department of Financial Studies, Redeemers’ University, faulted the government's pronouncement that it had implemented 56 per cent of the 2012 budget.

Onafowokanurged the government to justify its claim, arguing that the economy had been moving at a slow pace.

Dr Kazeem Bello, of the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, also faulted the Federal Government’s position on the level of implementation of the budget.

Bellosaid that under normal circumstances, the government could have achieved 40 per cent by now if funds were made available.

He suggested the timely disbursement of funds to ministries and parastatal agencies for necessary expenditures for the year.

Bello said that from economic indices, the 2011 budget performed below 50 per cent.

Mr Wole Olowu, General Manager, True Bond Micro Finance Bank Ltd., said that most of the capital projects took a much longer time to execute, saying that there was, therefore, no way that the claim by government could have been possible within the short period.

According to him, the major obstacle to the nation’s budget implementation is the lack of funds.








http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/31446/2012/08/01/defer_assessment_2012_budget_performance_years_end_experts.html

Mr Oluyombo Onafowokan, a lecturer in the Department of Financial Studies, Redeemers’ University, f[b]aulted the government's pronouncement that it had implemented 56 per cent of the 2012 budget.[/b]

Onafowokan urged the government to justify its claim, arguing that the economy had been moving at a slow pace.

Dr Kazeem Bello, of the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, also faulted the Federal Government’s position on the level of implementation of the budget.

Bello said that under normal circumstances, the government could have achieved 40 per cent by now if funds were made available.

He suggested the timely disbursement of funds to ministries and parastatal agencies for necessary expenditures for the year.

Bello said that from economic indices, the 2011 budget performed below 50 per cent.

I agree with em!

One take on the 56%

https://www.nairaland.com/1007350/nigeria-what-this-56-percent

Until we have the FOI act working, we will always be in the dark of what is going on. 56% or 12% ?

We have FOI, however, what we have now is issue of SELECTIVE implementation on FOI law.

I dey hear them, Yoruba and Hausa expects.
Tribalistic slowpoke.s

Kobo, do you ever enjoy life? This your busybody don't too much.

On a clearer note, I thought the budget was passed in April. Nobody sanctioned the law makers for not doing their job on time. It is not yet time to judge if the implementation of the budget will be given a pass mark or a failure.

Ngwakwe: I dey hear them, Yoruba and Hausa expects.
Tribalistic slowpoke.s

Kobo, do you ever enjoy life? This your busybody don't too much.

On a clearer note, I thought the budget was passed in April. Nobody sanctioned the law makers for not doing their job on time. It is not yet time to judge if the implementation of the budget will be given a pass mark or a failure.

Concerning myself with what happens in the Nation is busy body? Did someone stick im dirty finger inside your brain or something?

On passing of the budget, please consult your history . . . that has been the typical period for passing of budgets in Nigeria. I don't know why uninformed beings as your person are now trying to make that an issue in hopes of, I don't know,creating yet another inane excuse for politicians who do not care if you live or die.

And by do not drag tribe into this. That article was compiled by people from various ethnicities and as you can see, the 'experts' cross ethnic divides.

It is amazing how learning the truth in Nigeria can do to someone

As long as the work she is doing is not in their pockets favor,any other thing is a lie to them.

1800bc: As long as the work she is doing is not in their pockets favor,any other thing is a lie to them.

The pocket of ordinary civilians? What are you yapping about now? these are NON-POLITICIANS telling you that what you are being told is NOT good news for you or them.