Reps Accuse Presidency over Ungrateful Budget

The House of Representatives has accused the Presidency of being ungrateful to the National Assembly over claims that failure of the federal legislative arm to send details of the budget to the aNigeria President was responsible for his refusal to assent to the Appropriation Bill as passed. Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin, who made this declaration on Wednesday in Abuja, said that it was unfortunate that the Presidency could lay the blame for Buhari’s withholding assent to the 2016 budget at the door step of the National Assembly, considering the errors and flaws contained in the original budget submitted to the National Assembly.
Speaking to journalists, Rep. Jibrin described the 2016 budget as the most difficult Appropriation Bill the National Assembly has ever worked on while reacting to media reports that President declined to assent because the National Assembly failed to forward details of the budget.
“We wish to make some clarifications, following media reports suggesting that withholding assent to the 2016 Appropriation Bill by the Presidency was due to the failure of the National Assembly to send the budget details to the Presidency alongside the Appropriation Bill. “Ordinarily, the National Assembly should not have responded to the issues raised, but we are duty bound to put the issues into perspective and put records straights even though we doubt very much if the presidency will issue such statement knowing fully well the challenges the budget has faced so far.
“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 dusts were raised over different versions of the budget circulated in the National Assembly. Further, some ministers disowned the content of the budget during their defense before NASS. “Amidst 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”, Jibrin said. He added that in order for the nation to move forward and avoid any stagnation of the 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 to a budget before or after seeing the details. In any case, the budget details is usual 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 the same mistake that the executive made