President Goodluck Jonathan has rejected a number
of ambitious stipulations in the Budget Act allowing
the Senate and the House of Representatives to
monitor every kobo disbursed by the executive for
project execution, a design federal lawmakers
hatched to check the perennial problem of poor
budget implementation.

Mr. Jonathan said the unprecedented clauses,
inserted by both chambers into the 2012 budget law after repeatedly complaining about their frustration with dismal budget performance, will encroach on his powers and that of the executive.
In a letter to the National Assembly Tuesday, the
president called for immediate review.

“The 2013 Appropriation Act includes some clauses
which may be injurious to the spirit of separation of
powers and which could hamper the work of the
executive arm of government. I, therefore, request
that these should be reviewed,” the president said.

The lawmakers had included in its approval of the
budget clause 6(2), which demands that the
Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, forward
to the National Assembly full details of all funds
released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies
immediately such funds are released.

If effective, Clause 6(2), more than any other, would
allowed a very close monitoring of government
spending. But Mr. Jonathan has rejected the move
citing separation of powers.

A follow up clause directs that the Minister of Finance release funds periodically as due to offices involved, and failures can only be entertained with the due permission of the National Assembly.

The president said that was impossible since
revenues fluctuate and might necessitate budgetary defaults. “This requires the minister of Finance to seek a waiver from the National Assembly each time the ministry of Finance cannot make full fund releases to the MDAs when due.

As you are aware, the nation experiences a shortfall in revenue once in a while and if the minister is to seek a waiver on each occasion,
the practice would tie down budget implementation,” he said.

It is not clear whether the lawmakers will oblige Mr.
Jonathan. But the president’s request for change, sent alongside a number of amendments to the 2012 budget, appears to highlight the president’s concern about having the executive’s often criticized unapproved spending, curtailed.

In 2012, lawmakers noted several unbudgeted
spending by ministries, departments and
parastatals-many of the cash used for those
spendings came from internally generated revenue.

Under the president, the cost of petrol subsidy
surged consistently more than approved by the
National Assembly, peaking at more than N2 trillion
in 2011 against the N256 billion budgeted.

But most frustrating to the lawmakers has been the
consistent poor implementation of the federal
budget, and complaints about refusal by the Ministry of Finance to make fund releases to respective government establishments.

The clauses were amongst a number of reviews by
the lawmakers to the budget, a reason the president refused to sign the passed document for months.

Others were the oil price benchmark and spending
adjustments. Mr. Jonathan recently signed the budget after extracting the assurances of the two arms of the National Assembly that should he sign the budget, the legislators will approve an immediate follow-up amendment he would send to lawmakers.

The president forwarded the amendment on
Tuesday. Alongside other requests, he asked the two arms to reverse the zero allocation to the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, saying withholding the agency’s funds would affect the capital market.

Mr. Jonathan said the decision to withhold the
commission’s budget “tantamount to shutting down the business of the commission with a potential negative impact on the capital market”.

In the amendment the president has requested,
N273, 522 billion is to be allocated to the Subsidy
Reinvestment programme which lawmakers had
earlier dismissed as a scam.

Extra N4 billion is for the East-West road increment,
N13 billion for Abuja-Lokoja road, N31.5 billion for
Benin-Ore-Sagamu road, an additional N7 billion for
Kano-Maiduguri dualisation, N7billion for Port-
Harcourt-Enugu-Onitsha road, N7 billion counterpart funding for second Niger bridge and N10 billion for Oweto bridge in Benue State.

Proposed allocation to the Ministry of Transport is
N77 billion for Lagos-Kano-Port Harcourt-Maiduguri-
Kaduna-Abuja rail project, bringing the total to
N213,190 billion.

For social safety nets and infrastructure projects,
maternal and child health was allocated N16.9
billion, public works for youth N27 billion, mass
transit N6 billion, vocational training N8.6 billion and culture and tourism, N224 million.

Others include N1 billion for the board of Subsidy
Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme and
N500 million for monitoring and evaluation, bringing the total expenditure to N273,522 billion.




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I'm not a fan of the legislators because they constitute one of the major headaches of this country, but on this one, they get my suport.

For a regime which boasts of being the most valiant when it comes to fighting corruption, I see no sense in opposing a proposal to enhance transparency.

2015 is around the corner and the scumbag wants to ensure he loots as much as posible without the faintest of searchlights pointing in his direction.

Imagin budgettin about 300bill on an item and ending up spending nearly 3trillion on same item yet not a single soul has been held acountable!!

Jonathan is the biggest crook ever in the history of mankind!

Even in parliamentary system of government, such clauses are infringing on the powers of the executive (Prime minister and the cabinet). You can then compare it to Presidential System in relative terms.

Are you sure you know what separation of Power actually means as it pertains to budgeting or your anti-GEJ emotions wouldn't allow you see reason for abuse of legislative authority as pointed out by Mr President.

These clauses are not about over-sight functions but about caging the Executive and leaving them with no room to maneuver.

omenka: I'm not a fan of the legislators because they constitute one of the major headaches of this country, but on this one, they get my suport.

For a regime which boasts of being the most valiant when it comes to fighting corruption, I see no sense in opposing a proposal to enhance transparency.

2015 is around the corner and the scumbag wants to ensure he loots as much as posible without the faintest of searchlights pointing in his direction.

Imagin budgettin about 300bill on an item and ending up spending nearly 3trillion on same item yet not a single soul has been held acountable!!

Jonathan is the biggest crook ever in the history of mankind!

Ngwakwe: Even in parliamentary system of government, such clauses are infringing on the powers of the executive (Prime minister and the cabinet). You can then compare it to Presidential System in relative terms.

Are you sure you know what separation of Power actually means as it pertains to budgeting or your anti-GEJ emotions wouldn't allow you see reason for abuse of legislative authority as pointed out by Mr President.

These clauses are not about over-sight functions but about caging the Executive and leaving them with no room to maneuver.

The closest thing to an ibo president is retardeen GEJ and no wonder tribalists like you would defend him for anything he does against the interest of the generality of the people due to either tribalism, you sold your soul to him, completely clueless or just that thing that makes some humans the cankerous scums and dredges of the earth! So far, the SS retardeen is the most stupi.d, corrupt and useless president in the history of Nigeria or the world! LMAO How nice I DON'T live in Nigeria to see or hear about the pitiful state of living and the retardeens in that country!!

If you don't have anything to contribute, why don't you read and pass.

As for calling me a tribalist. Your ship just sunk as I can't stoop so low as in belonging to that your club.

I will always tell Igbos side of the story without malice or insult for sure.

Exposing various lies told over the ages against the Igbos using / through the media and the web.

Furthermore, it is my duty to point out/to some universal(not peculiar to only one tribe) vices that never defined us, of which our haters want to attribute to our survival and characteristics thereby breeding their future generations to hate and talk ill of the Igbos without no just cause.

CyberG:

The closest thing to an ibo president is retardeen GEJ and no wonder tribalists like you would defend him for anything he does against the interest of the generality of the people due to either tribalism, you sold your soul to him, completely clueless or just that thing that makes some humans the cankerous scums and dredges of the earth! So far, the SS retardeen is the most stupi.d, corrupt and useless president in the history of Nigeria or the world! LMAO How nice I DON'T live in Nigeria to see or hear about the pitiful state of living and the retardeens in that country!!

@Ngwakwe. I beg to differ from ur line of arguement. The president's oposition has nothing to do with separation of powers or infringement on the powers of the executive. It has everything to do with fostering and perpertuating the status quo of unbridled corruption and thievery. What is wrong with nigerians demanding that they know how their money is being spent? We are the govt's employers and as such hav every right to know how our employees expend our resources. Is that to much to ask? The president yet again strikes a wrong chord on this note making the sound that has been emanating from his guitar over the last coupla months sound even more nauseating.

Some frustrated and confused persons will support even the devil, just to discredit GEJ.

Sincere 9gerian: Some frustrated and confused persons will support even the devil, just to discredit GEJ.

And reading thru, this is the best you can come up with.

I thought you sed the Scumbag is an anticoruption czar. Why is he now tryin to reside in the dark??

Sincere 9gerian: Some frustrated and confused persons will support even the devil, just to discredit GEJ.

Another good comment and observation on point.

I'm with the president on this one, that particular clause undermines the ability of the president. The president and his team should have the presiding authority over how they spend their budgeted money, if NASS wants the records, they can use their FOI bill to subpoena for them.