By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA— FOR the second day running, there were more knocks on the 2016 budget from many senators, who said the proposal needed to be rejigged to make it feasible.

Some Senators sought aggressive tax regime to fund the budget and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to raise a formidable economic team.

Like what happened on Tuesday, most of the criticisms at yesterday’s debate on the budget came from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while senators elected on the banner of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, justified the appropriation bill.

For instance, while Senator Dino Melaye described it as a holy budget, Senator Abiodun Olujimi said the proposal is not a budget of change because the Federal Government will be borrowing N500 million daily to sustain it.

Govt should device aggressive tax r

egime —Adeyeye

Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, said the government should embark on aggressive tax regime to fund the budget since the diversification drive of the government is yet to achieve results.

He advocated that allowances and salaries of lawmakers in the country be taxed in order to generate more revenues for the government.

Adeyeye, who warned his fellow lawmakers that God will judge and deal with them if they fail to live up to the responsibilities placed on them by Nigerians, added that Senators must blame themselves for the rush in ensuring the passage of the budget against the backdrop of its late submission by the President and not blame the PDP or APC.

He said he was proposing to present to the Senate a bill that would mandate the President to submit the budget to the National Assembly within a stipulated period of time like in the United States of America where the President presents the budget on time and lawmakers have eight months to look at it.

Adeyeye, who called on the government to cut the cost of governance and reduce the number of parastatals, said: “I want to remind us that this is not the first time since 1999 that National Assembly has given itself too short a time to do justice in the consideration of our budget.

“In saying this with all due respect to all of us and those who have served in the National Assembly, I want to give us one pertinent information. Eleven days from today, Monday, February 1, President Obama must by law, submit the budget for 2017, the US Congress always has eight months to look at the budget and pass it.

This is not a budget of change — Olujimi

Contributing to the debate, Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi, PDP, Ekiti South, said  the budget  does not reflect the change mantra of the government, stressing that the government needs to go back and make adjustments on the budget to reflect what would impact on the lives of the people.

Olujimi,who urged President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, put in place a strong economic team, said there was need for introspection, adding: “This budget is for all of us and whatever criticism that comes out of this budget is to strengthen the system and ensure that we get a better Nigeria, one man cannot do it alone and no political party can achieve it alone.

“Meanwhile, most of the things that have been on this side (PDP) have been on the other side (APC) because the people who created the chaos are already on the other side.

“Mr President my worry about this budget is very simple and I am not a financial expert but I see that the expenditure and deficits are the major problems and the cog in the wheel of progress in this budget. Already our people are dying from financial problems and keeping this undone might cost them more pains.

It’s a holy budget —Dino Melaye

However, Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West, who described the 2016 budget as a holy one, said: “I want to start by saying a very big thank you to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the first time in 17 years, giving us a holy budget.

“I am particularly happy that instead of funding Malams and Marabouts with N4 billion, this progressive government of APC has decided to convert money meant for celestial, spiritual and diabolical activities into providing school uniforms and free feeding for our sons and daughters. Instead of re-appropriating our national patrimony in purchasing stove, this government has decided that unemployed young Nigerians will go home every month with a take home.

“This is a departure from the wastage of the past. This is a complete difference from a situation where one single Nigerian decides to appropriate money to friends and cronies.

It’s a unique, innovative budget

— Aliyu Abdullahi

Also speaking, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator, Aliyu Abdullahi, APC, Niger North, who said the budget is unique, innovative, courageous and bold, alleged that the immediate past administration was that of ‘ATM’, adding that with the 2016 budget and the present administration, ‘ATMs’ will stop working.

He said: “The capital budget has gotten about 216 per cent increase. In this increase, it is also very obvious that we must take note of our past experiences whereby capital budget implementation is usually not up to our expectation. I will like implore that the MDAs, because of this increase, must be strengthened in their implementation capacities.

“It is noteworthy also that the non-oil revenue and independent revenue have been carefully targeted to increase our revenue inflow. Government known enterprises are known to be the ATMs of past governments. In this budget, I think the ATM will stop working.”

The Senate may conclude the debates, Tuesday, after which the budget will pass the second reading and referred to the Committee on Appropriation.