The chairman House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has confirmed that the National Assembly did not forward the details of the 2016 Appropriations Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

He said it was a regular practice of the National Assembly to send details to the president weeks after passing the budget, saying there was nothing abnormal for the president to sign the budget without seeing the details.

Presidency sources had told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday that Mr. Buhari refused to approve the budget a week after its passage, insisting on seeing its details as passed by the National Assembly.
The National Assembly last week passed a N6.06 trillion 2016 budget, reducing the president’s N6.08 trillion slightly.

In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Jibrin said it was the tradition of the National Assembly to scrutinize the details of the budget before its being forwarded to the Presidency.

“The general public should note that the MTEF and 2016 budget proposal came to NASS very late. You will also recall that a lot of dust was raised over different versions of the budget circulated in the national assembly. Further, some ministers disowned the content of the budget during defence before NASS.

“Amid these inconsistencies and discrepancies, the NASS had been deeply engrossed in perfecting the anomalies, ironing out of the wrinkles and stretching the twists inherent in the 2016 appropriation bill.
“In order for the nation to move forward and avoid stagnation of administrative processes, the tradition is that the bill is passed and forwarded to the presidency for assent, while the lawmakers continue to work on the details. There is nothing abnormal about this practice and yet nothing abnormal about a president assenting a budget before or after seeing the details. In any case, the budget details are usually sent within a week or two after passing the budget.
“In view of the inconsistencies, errors, omissions and padding that characterised the 2016 Budget, it would be unpatriotic of NASS to forward the budget details without being extra-careful, meticulous and cautious in discharging its duties. This is to ensure we do not make same mistake that the executive made.

“The Appropriation committee needs to scrutinize the original proposal sent by the president vis-à-vis the reports of various Standing Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate to arrive at a clean copy of the budget details. This will in no way affect any envelop already passed or the aggregate expenditure.

“The NASS holds the President in high esteem and will continue to support him. There were several instances where we demonstrated our support to the present administrations in the past.

“At the risk of sounding immodest, the NASS approved the President’s Special Advisers without hitch, approved ministerial nominees without rancour, approved Supplementary Budget without delay and displayed a rare show of patriotism in the receipt and passage of the 2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and budget.

“The 2016 Budget is the most challenging budget the NASS has ever passed in its recent history. Taking into account the many controversies and omissions, particularly in NYSC, Prisons, Pensions, personnel shortfalls, among others, the budget failed in many respects to connect with the policy thrust of the government.

“The NASS Appropriation Committees worked round the clock to address some of the omissions, bring up to date allocations in the budget towards the policy direction of Mr. President, particularly issues relating to security, anti-corruption and economic diversification.


“Given the foregoing efforts, it is therefore unfair for accusing fingers to be pointed at NASS when the Presidency defers or delays assent to the budget. Nowhere in the world that a budget is presented to the Parliament, and expect it to be passed warts and all without subjecting it to the rigours of scrutiny, debate and painstaking processes and inputs of the parliament.
“The NASS will continue to exercise its constitutional duty of appropriation to the latter. While recognising the President’s power to withhold assent, the NASS is also constitutionally required and has power to veto. But we don’t want that to happen and we don’t see this happening in this case.
“It is obvious that some fifth columnists are crying wolf where there is none and are also bent on creating friction and disharmony between the NASS and the Presidency,” Mr. Jibrin said.

[size=14pt] UNSERIOUS GOVERNANMENT [/size]

Hear talk! Baba say anoda thing.. thief dem

May God help president Buhari. this people are not serious at all.

Toor

I understand that the NASS members are not happy with the budget as there are no traditional kickbacks imputed in the budget hence they retired to legislative histrionics, fault findings and unwarranted technicalities to the frustrate the passage and implementations.

We should expect more antics and dramas from the NASS members in the course of the budget implementations as relates to their oversight functions.
And do not be carried away as they're all united in the course to shortchange the common man irrespective of their party divides.

Buhari government is always looking for scapegoat for it's self inflicted malaise.

NASS wants to scrutinize an already passed budget? They must have iron out all discrepancies and errors in the budget before passing the budget . It doesn't make any sense to me coz the bill has been passed or can it reverse the Budget back for deliberations if they discover any further errors at this crucial time ? I feel it's right for buhari to see the details of the budget before assenting to it since NASS made some changes and slashed some figures down in the budget.

How come no body is complaining about the incompetence of these NASS members in discharging their constitutional duties?

SleekAbokii:
Buhari government is always looking for scapegoat for it's self inflicted malaise.

Gerrarehea!!!! always calling Buhari. if u dont have better thing to say why cant keep quiet.

greatiyk4u:
How come no body is complaining about the incompetence of these NASS members in discharging their constitutional duties?

thank u jare

We already know the reason. Simply because buhari cannot read.tanks, and no zombie should quote me o

Aufbauh:
I understand that the NASS members are not happy with the budget as there are no traditional kickbacks imputed in the budget hence they retired to legislative histrionics, fault findings and unwarranted technicalities to the frustrate the passage and implementations.

**** there was a national outcry against that national embarrassment of a budget as presented, stolen and re presented by Mr Buhari. Was he expecting the honourable members to rubber stamp heist? The house must not be blackmailed into submission. Which kickbacks did the honourable members demand? The members should be hailed for painstakingly correcting all the thefts Mr Buhari and his co travelers hid inside the budget.

Anasko:
Gerrarehea!!!! always calling Buhari. if u dont have better thing to say why cant keep quiet.

Should I call Aisha? okay, there you have it! Love in Tokyo with Wale. hope you happy now?

SleekAbokii:

Brother, [s]there was a national outcry against that national embarrassment of a budget as presented, stolen and re presented by Mr Buhari. Was he expecting the honourable members to rubber stamp heist? The house must not be blackmailed into submission. Which kickbacks did the honourable members demand? The members should be hailed for painstakingly correcting all the thefts Mr Buhari and his co travelers hid inside the budget.[/s]

Boy read in between the lines. Was the details of the budget that originated from the NASS padded? Why the exclusion? Someone who painstakingly went through the budget to detect fault and padding cannot attach details. They should tell that to the Marines.

SleekAbokii:

Should I call Aisha? okay, there you have it! Love in Tokyo with Wale. hope you happy now?

a boy is boy forever

Aufbauh:


Boy read in between the lines. Was the details of the budget that originated from the NASS padded? Why the exclusion? Someone who painstakingly went through the budget to detect fault and padding cannot attach details. They should tell that to the Marines.

Then we should treat this as a case of Presidency padding to eat alone while excluding the honorable members which goes against the long held tradition of an all inclusive padding.

Maybe the honourable members deleted and smuggled their own interests so as to continue in the long held tradition? Both will still lobby and reach a middle ground. Buhari must be hating democracy and lobbying.

Anasko:
a boy is boy forever

Is it a criminal offence if I so decide to feel like a boy again?

what's all this one again ?? they've started pls bubu take time

Here were the things iPod iDaft Yoots said earlier when Baba said he will not accent to the budget until NASS releases details:

1.

aje:
So we are going to wait another 7 months for PMB to understand and digest the content of the budget ..

Because it took him that much to select his' heavenly noise makers'

We are in for a long thing so we berra brace up...

2.

moyinn:
Who are this idiots fooling? Something is wrong with this govt.

3.

Integrit:
Can someone pls interpret the budget and translate it for him in Arabic!

4.

Eti:
Details??


This is hilarious.....


He is still having fun with the delay of d project...

5.

Sleekii:

We should loan buhari to Pakistan and employ someone who can sit his ass down and reason out ideas for a working Nigeria.

6.

Naviers:
Don't worry all, the president needs to verify that his padded items are intact, or do you want the NASS to spoil his show and put their own choppings instead.

Incompetent man trying to form detail oriented on a budget he presented, stole and re-presented only to deny knowing the details on Aljazeera, today he is trying to continue on go-slow mode by coming up with excuses to stall the nonsense of a budget he prepared.

PS: We said it already with removal of the built-in items that budget would never have come close to 5 trillion.

7.

Ecotst:
buhari is so confused

8.

Eorist:
I thought the budget with the amendments were fwded to him rather he is going for Nuclear summit in Obodo Amelika.


How did we get to have this dullard as a president

9.

nnachkz:
Which details does he need. OK I understand now, he needs a copy of the passed budget written in Hausa and ten professors in Hausa language for interpretation.

Etc, etc, etc.

They don't care about understanding a post before commenting as they insisted "details" had been sent. Anger and undue resentment for the president has made them completely lost their minds, embarrassing themselves at every turn..

Now, NASS admits they are indeed yet to forward details, being the recalcitrant crooks they are. I wonder what the iDafts would say now.

^ Your zombie case is beyond redemption! Worry less about the iPod yootsand more of your Agatu community and how to send relief materials down home. Your buhari doesn't even give a Bleep about you or your people yet you wan die on top em matter. I pity you sha.

Bunch of lazy and unserious legislooters. Na only recess them sabi.

You want a president to sign a budget based on highlights. He sent a whole budget to you, you sent back highlights and you want him to sign.

And the idiot was even threatening the president with the NA's veto power.

hmmmm

[s]

brightology3:
We already know the reason. Simply because buhari cannot read.tanks, and no zombie should quote me o

[/s]

If na Jonathan era, some people go dey shout like Goats*


Abeg tell Nepa to give us Light oh, this is no longer funny. Its 2 weeks already.

Joke of a country

K

God Punish you all

Ui