The Senate yesterday jacked up the request by President Muhammadu Buhari for the virement of N180 billion with an additional N33 billion, bringing the total figure approved by the upper chamber in the National Assembly to N213 billion.
In contrast, the House of
Representatives increased the president’s request for the N180 billion
virement to N208 billion. The difference would subsequently have to be
harmonised by both chambers of the National Assemply before final
approval.
While presenting the report of the Joint
Committee on Appropriation and Finance on the virement yesterday, its
chairman, Senator Danjuma Goje, said the total amount was sourced from
the recurrent and capital components of the Special Intervention
Programme of the 2016 budget.
He also said the agencies to which the
funds would be vired gave enough justification for the request,
explaining that some of the agencies told the committee that the amounts
proposed by the president were inadequate to meet the shortfalls of
their financial obligations.
The committee further reported that in
view of its discovery on the needs of the affected agencies, it resolved
to raise the request from N180 billion to 208.8 billion.
Beneficiaries of the hike, according to
Goje, are the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), which had its original
request raised from N1.2 billion to N2.5 billion and another N25
billion approved for the payment of local contractors’ debts.
In summary, the committee approved N169.6 billion as recurrent expenditure and N39.2 billion as capital intervention fund.
In summary, the committee approved N169.6 billion as recurrent expenditure and N39.2 billion as capital intervention fund.
But during consideration of the report,
the Senate further raised the N208 billion recommended by the committee
by another N5 billion which it approved for the implementation of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) projects in the Ministry of Power,
Works and Housing, thus bringing the total approval to N213 billion.
But during consideration of the report
yesterday, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu drew the attention of
his colleagues to Section 81(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides
for the presentation of a supplementary budget before the National
Assembly.
According to him, there is no provision
for virement in the constitution, describing it as a “military
terminology” that is not backed by law and therefore implies a breach of
the constitution.
Ekweremadu therefore warned against a repeat of the request for virement.
Ekweremadu therefore warned against a repeat of the request for virement.
“Your Excellency, distinguished
colleagues, we have been going through the issue of virement which is
not known in our constitution. It is a military terminology and it is
certainly not in our constitution.
“What is in our constitution, because
when they present this virement, nobody makes any reference to any law
authorising it, what we do is in respect of the constitution. We swore
to an oath to abide by the provisions of this constitution.
“Regarding appropriation, we have either
the Appropriation Act or the Supplementary Act. There is nothing like
virement. For our guidance and the guidance of the executive, I propose
that going forward, if there is any shortfall or there is need to cover
any grounds that has not been covered, the appropriate thing is a
supplementary appropriation, not a virement because virement is not
known to the constitution,” Ekweremadu said.
Senate President Bukola Saraki backed
Ekweremadu’s observation and advised the executive to abide by the
provisions of the constitution, pointing out that the request should
have come as a supplementary budget and not virement.
“I think your observation as far as the
constitution is concerned is well noted. I think we are all fully aware
of that and that is why I cannot continue to thank my colleagues so much
in the way we have been addressing the issue of the economy and we are
not looking at it from whichever party we belong to or whatever side.
“If we stick to the constitution, you
are very right and it’s part of our support and cooperation with the
executive and Nigerians to move things forward. As you rightly said,
this should come as a supplementary budget but in an attempt to make
this move and incorporate it and ensure that we give the support, the
executive should also take note,” Saraki said.
But Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa
West) differed on the positions of the two presiding officers, saying
even though the constitution does not provide for virement, the Fiscal
Responsibility Act 2007 does so and hence remains a valid action.
He said: “Nobody in his senses will
doubt or contest the very clear provisions of the constitution. However,
there is a Fiscal Responsibility Act. Section 24 provides for virement.
While we accept the intervention, we don’t want to create the
impression that it meant a wrong thing in totality because there is a
Fiscal Responsibility Act which is recognised by the constitution.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment