By INALEGWU SHAIBU
ABUJA-THE Senate, yesterday, insisted it would not pass  the 2011 budget unless the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; and 29 other government agencies submit their 2011 budget proposals to the National Assembly.

SANUSI

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who issued the threat in a status report on the 2011 budget warned that the all the 31 agencies must comply with the 2007 Fiscal Responsibility Act before the National Assembly could pass the 2011 budget.

He said:  “Section 21 (1)(2)(a&b) and 3, mandates the Minister of Finance to submit the budget estimates of the agencies and corporations mentioned in the schedule therein along with the draft appropriation bill.

Omisore noted that the Senate had written the Minister of Finance, asking him to direct the agencies to comply with the Senate request, stressing: “In our letter dated December 20, 2010 to the Minister of Finance, we drew the attention of the Minister to this very important provision of the fiscal responsibility act and demanded expeditious response to enable us complete our work in earnest.

Personal visits and interactions

“We also directed our sub-committees to liaise with agencies under them and ensure compliance before they submit their reports. Despite our concerted efforts, with repeated phone calls, personal visits and interactions with the Ministry of Finance, the budget estimates of the agencies have not been submitted and the non compliance has caused the delay in the passage of the budget as planned.

“We wish to reiterate that any further delay to submit the budget of these agencies may continue to affect the passage of the bill as we don’t want to go against the Act of the Parliament.”

The agencies are Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC; the Bureau of Public Enterprise, PBE; National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASEI; Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF; Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC; National Clearing and Forwarding Agency, NCFA; and Nigeria Unity Line, NUL.

Others include Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA; Nigeria Shippers Council, NSC; National Maritime Authority, NMA; Raw Material Research and Development Council, RMRDC; Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA; National Sugar Development Council, NSDC; Nigeria Postal Service, NPS; Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA; Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN; Nigeria Mining Corporation, NMC; and Nigeria Reinsurance.

The rest are Nigerdock Nigeria Plc; Security and Exchange Commission, SEC; National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria, NICON; Nigerian Telecommunication, NITEL; National Automotive Council, NAC; Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC; National Communication Commission, NCC; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC; Nigerian Customs Service, and Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.