we must not return it same way
By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA – In their different submissions at Wednesday plenary, members of the House of Representatives literally said that the 2018 budget proposal laid on November 7 by President Muhammadu Buhari was watery.

They, however enjoined the House to sufficient thinker with the document to give make usable for the benefit of the citizenry.

House of Representatives

They, however enjoined the House to sufficiently thinker with the document to make it usable for the benefit of the citizenry.

The submissions came on the second of the debate on the general principles of the financial estimates also called Appropriate Bill.

The members had at the commencement of debate on the proposal on Tuesday berated the Executive Arm of government for poorly executing the 2017 budget which is currently running.
Recall that President Buhari had proposed a total of N8.6 trillion for income and expenditure in the 2018 fiscal year.

But barring their minds on the 2018, the members said that the proposal was lacking in capital projects.

Their presentation runs thus:
We must do the right thing for Nigerians- Baba Munir Dan-Agundi (Kano State)

“We didn’t achieve much in the year 2017 as regards to capital implementation. We have to tell ourselves the truth. We have a social contract with Nigerians. What we do here will reflect to Nigerians. This is my 6th year of witnessing budget. What’s the performance of 2016 and 2017.

In the budget of today, we did we put in place to address this poor revenue generation?
“What emphasis did we put in place to generate revenue? We need to make a distinction between administrative capital project and developmental capital project. Another thing we should be careful about is the issue of oil price projection. We need to ask ourselves what transpired in this chamber last three weeks on Ken Saro Wiwa. The people there are not happy.

“Another issue is agriculture. The ministers and the executive will always come here and tell us what they want us to hear. We have a duty to do the needful for Nigerians in 2018/2019 budget. Let us do the right thing, explore the nitty-gritty of this budget for Nigeria.”

We should not be worried about time of passage-Abdulrazak Namdas (Adamawa State)
“We should be worried about the reality. We shouldn’t be worried about when we are going to pass the budget.”

Is the market oil price realistic? Hon. Joseph Edionwene (Edo State)
“In 2017, we captioned our budget of Recovery and in 2018, we have captioned it as
Consolidatory. We over-promise in our budget and under-deliver and it is not fair. In 2018, we are already projecting 2.3 barrels when in 2017 we were unable to meet the target of 2.2. Official rate of 305 per dollar as against the market price of 365 is unrealistic.”

We must not return the budget back the same way it came-Hon. Afe Okere ( Ondo State)
“I want to say that considering the level of development, we are not really committed. I found that in the last two budgets, the percentage that we earmarked for the capital project is grossly inadequate. Even in spite of that, not up of 15 percent of that 30 percent was achieved.

In 2017, we didn’t even achieve 10 percent of the 30 percent. That shows we are not serious. And if it continues like that I don’t see how we can achieve any meaningful development. Every year, we give Recurrent priority. My own recommendation is that we have to do the needful. It is not compulsory that what is proposed to us must be returned to them in that manner.

Otherwise, we turn the budget to mere window dressing. I wouldn’t want the budget this year to go the way of 2017.”

What’s the future? Julius Pondi (Delta State)

“Every single land in the Niger Delta is polluted by oil exploration. The president said that the future will be better. What’s the future that will be better when you place a ban on employment. Now, the projection is 2.2 barrel.”

Okene-Lokoja road not on the budget- Yusuf Ahmed Tijani (Kogi State)
“If truly this budget is consolidation, why was Okene-Lokoja road totally removed from the budget? There are accidents on the road everyday. And these are Nigerians. I would plead that will redirect our priorities.”

Budget outcome should trickle down to common man- Serguis Ogun (Edo State)
“The bane of on performance of our budget is implementation. Now, the executive has presented the budget and they want to stampede us to pass it. Until, the outcome of the budget trickles down to the common man, whatever we are doing here is not imparting”.

No comment until MTEF is passed-Hon. Kingsley Chinda (Rivers State)

“I will step down whatever I have to say until we have the MTEF.”

Nothing to oversight in Power Sector-Daniel Asuquo (Cross Rivers)

“I think we have done a good work as a responsible legislature to give the budget of Mr. President …we have also passed the request of 5.5 to fund the 2018 budget. What’s the aim of this rush that we should truncate the 2017 by bringing a new one. We have given them 5.5 billion.

“In the power sector, there is nothing to go and oversight. The budget in the power sector has not got 10 percent implementation. Even the 10 percent is ongoing projects. Discos do not have resources to operate. It is our duty to include projects that will touch the lives of Nigerians. None of them has been executed. I appeal that we should give the executive time to execute the 2017 budget.”