The National Assembly has yet to approve the request by the Presidency to move N135.6bn to other pressing sub-heads in the 2017 budget five months after the request was submitted to it by the executive.

Both chambers of the National Assembly, on Tuesday, told The PUNCH that the virement, which seeks improved funding of key projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge, had been overtaken by events.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, as the Acting President while President Muhammadu Buhari  was in London on medical vacation, had, on July 20, 2017, written to both chambers of the National Assembly seeking approval for the re-allocation of some funds in the 2017 budget.

The Senate, however, did not treat the request until November 6, 2017, when it was referred to the Committee on Appropriations. The committee has yet to present its report to the chamber as of the time this report was filed.

The executive and the National Assembly had clashed after Osinbajo signed the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N7.441trn into law on June 12.

Both arms of government disagreed on the reduction of budgetary allocations to key projects, including budgetary votes to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge.

The contractors, reconstructing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway – Julius Berger and RCC – suspended work on the highway, described as the most important in the country, in July due to mounting debts by the Federal Government.

The lawmakers had reduced allocation to the work on the road from N31bn to N10bn while the National Assembly added N10bn to its allocation to take its budgetary allocation from the previous N115bn to N125bn, ascribing the increase to inflation.

The executive had, in July, submitted the virement request as part of efforts to inject more funds into the dilapidated highway, the new Niger Bridge and other critical projects.

Speaking with one of our correspondents on the telephone, the Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Sunday Ogbuoji, blamed the delay on committees which supervised the Ministries, Departments and Agencies affected by the virement.


He said, “You’re right to say it was referred to the appropriations committee but, you know, the process of appropriation is that when you refer something to the committee on appropriations, the  committee will send it to the various committees who have the responsibility (over the MDAs).

“We have yet to get feedback from the committees who have the responsibility. That is why we have not presented the report.”

When asked what the fate of the request was when the National Assembly has started working on the 2018 Appropriation Bill, Ogbuoji said, “You will know as we progress. That report must be laid before the Senate.”

A member of the Committee on Appropriations, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, was asked about the status of the request at the committee stage, he said, “I can’t remember.”

He was, however, reminded that the request was made by Osinbajo in July. He was also told the amount and the committee it was referred to.

In his response Ohuabunwa said events had overtaken the process, adding that the 2018 budget was already being prepared and would soon be passed, leaving the 2017 Appropriation Act expired.

“How can somebody even be talking of virement now when we have treated MTEF/FSP (Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper) and the processing of the 2018 budget is on?” he asked.

When asked if the 2018 budgetary process had any implications on the approval of the virement request, Ohuabunwa stated, “It has been overtaken by events. By bringing a new budget and as we are processing it, every other thing is nullified.”

A breakdown of the virement showed that in the Ministry of Transportation, N66bn would be moved into projects, while N46bn was recorded for the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

In the Ministry of Interior, N7.6bn will be moved while in the Ministry of Defence, the figure is N3.1bn.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration will move N3bn and another N2.8bn in the Ministry of Water Resources.

Also, the House of Representatives, on its part, said the N135.6bn virement was no longer relevant because attention had shifted to the 2018 budget.

The Chairman, House Committee on Works, Mr. Toby Okechukwu, told The PUNCH on Monday that the approval of the virement was no longer important.

“How can we be talking of 2017 virement again now that we are on 2018 budget? The issue now is 2018 budget,” he stated.

Okechukwu also informed The PUNCH that the target of the House was to provide adequate funds for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the 2nd Niger Bridge in the 2018 budget.

However, he explained that the amount of money to be put into the projects would be determined by the outcome of an investigation about to be conducted into their funding status by the House.

Okechukwu added, “There is a House resolution to investigate the exact funding status of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the 2nd Niger Bridge.

“We have to fully establish whether the projects are being funded through Public Private Partnership or they will be through total budgetary allocations by the government.

“Whichever is the outcome of the investigation will determine what further actions the House will take.
“But definitely, there will be adequate funding of the projects in 2018.”

designking:
It is an APC led senate and they can't even coordinate their own project funding.

APC is a party without tact!

mrvitalis:

You mean pdp in apc clothing ?

designking:
It is an APC led senate and they can't even coordinate their own project funding.

APC is a party without tact!

Bede2u:
This is silly. Is APC the majority and leaders of NASS or not?

APC failed Nigeria. Typical of anything headed by yorubas, it must be tribalistic. Igbos were the back bone of pdp for 16 years it was in power. In that period, they reached across all parties to pass bills in NASS and carried everybody along. Now the yoruba lead APC think they are at war with Igbos and PDP and cant get anything done in NASS

Bede2u:
This is silly. Is APC the majority and leaders of NASS or not?

APC failed Nigeria. Typical of anything headed by yorubas, it must be tribalistic. Igbos were the back bone of pdp for 16 years it was in power. In that period, they reached across all parties to pass bills in NASS and carried everybody along. Now the yoruba lead APC think they are at war with Igbos and PDP and cant get anything done in NASS

OlujobaSamuel:

huh
like seriously?
there was 5sp from the same tribe in 7yrs, yet you are claiming reaching out and harmony, something is wrong somewhere.

Stalwert:
[s][/s]

It takes an ignoramus of epic proportions not to figure that NASS under PDP 16 years were blatantly corrupt and always receive inducements before passing bills.

Bede2u:
Cos yorubas senators and president kept bringing motions for their impeachment.

Yorubas think they in a competition with Igbos.

OlujobaSamuel:

there are 18senators from SW, if the reaching out was as strong as you claim, how come 18senators were able to convince about 40others from other tribes to effect the removal?
Abegi, its too early, go find something worthy of emulation doing.

Bede2u:
Now that APC NASS cant pass any bill nko? Pls bring back our corruption.

Check the graph and see where pdp corruption grew Nigeria economy to and where APC integrity is pushing it down to. Soon egypt will overtake us if we dont take a stance now against this yeye integrity

Stalwert:
[s][/s]

please give us graphs showing the following

1. price of oil during the period

2. Revenues accrued to govt. during the period.

3. The Foreign reserve and sovereign wealth fund accrued in the period under review.

I f you can provide such graph shut up and learn to comprehend before posting m

Bede2u:
shame on u for not knowing that PDP 16 yrs wasnt all about oil.

B4 1999 Nigeria financial system was nonexistent. Banks collapsed every year. It was pdp that changed all that. It was pdp that brought about a change in commerce, with mega shopping malls springing up everywhere

PDP changed drug administration in nigeria, repositioning nafdac as an agency the public can trust. It led to pharmacies growing as nigeria exports drugs. Pdp came with policies that saw cement become a nigerian export. Pdp did a lot in info-tech. They encouraged info-tech entreprenous to grow thru popularising SME loans and micro finance.

Pdp did a lot to grow agric thru e-wallet and loans from bank of industry. Pdp rebuilt Abuja.
Pdp preserved our democracy by not stiffling opposition like we see in other african countries

Look at oil graph and see that oil prices now were the same with obj era oil price. He used his to open up new sectors of the economy. Oil price as at today is 63 usd per barrel. Oil price in 2010 when Gej came to power was 64 usd

See how our export value and volume kept a steady rise under 'corrupt' pdp

Stalwert:
[s][/s]

please give us graphs showing the following

1. price of oil during the period

2. Revenues accrued to govt. during the period.

3. The Foreign reserve and sovereign wealth fund accrued in the period under review.

I f you can provide such graph shut up and learn to comprehend before posting even your graph shows the economy contracting in 2014 under gej

Stalwert:
[s][/s]



Still unanswered defender of corruption

Bede2u:
since u want to be petty, i will shame u freely. PDP doesnt need to pay me.

The current forex reserve in nigeria is 34 billion usd. Current oil price is 63 usd per barrel.

Compare that with 2007 first quater when our forex was 42 billion usd and oil price was 60 usd per barrel.

https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/government-revenues
Check this website... u will see that govt earned its highest revenue in 10 years this 2017 first quarter.

Keneking:
All the Senators covering Lagos/ Ibadan have failed in their obligation to constituency

Bede2u:
The Igbos had real power for 16 years with pdp. They were sp, they controled obj's cabinet, they were pdp chairmen. Igbos never fought against yoruba interest in pdp. Igbos were fair to all with the ministries they handled. But yorubas on a vendatta mission has succeeded in alienating the igbos and have thus created a powerful enemy for themselves in NASS. Now APC cant pass any bill

Bede2u:
This is silly. Is APC the majority and leaders of NASS or not?

APC failed Nigeria. Typical of anything headed by yorubas, it must be tribalistic. Igbos were the back bone of pdp for 16 years it was in power. In that period, they reached across all parties to pass bills in NASS and carried everybody along. Now the yoruba lead APC think they are at war with Igbos and PDP and cant get anything done in NASS