Reps seek more time for thorough job
From Abuja Daniel, Asst. Political Editor and John-Abba Ogbodo, Abuja
THE Senate yesterday passed the N3.049 trillion 2009 Appropriation Bill, achieving a paradigm shift from the nine-year old tradition of late passage. The nation's budgets had hitherto not secured the lawmakers' approval before the end of the preceding fiscal year.
The National Assembly, between 1979 and 1983, was equally unable to pass budgets before the close of the fiscal years in the Second Republic.
The passed budget is with a record-breaking expenditure figure of N3.049 trillion, a N175 billion jump from the figures presented by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua early this month.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Iyiola Omisore, explained to journalists after the passage that the difference arose as a result of the upping of the approved exchange rate from the N116 per dollar to N125.
According to him, the new figures were agreed to by the Executive and Legislative arms of government, adding that he was hopeful that the House of Representatives would also break the nine-year old jinx of not passing the budget before the close of the year.
Of this amount, N1.709 trillion is for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, while the balance of N890.136 billion is for contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure.
The Federal Government next year will spend nearly N284 billion on debt servicing. N227.809 billion, representing over 80 per cent of the amount, is meant for servicing local debts, while nearly N56 billion will be used to service foreign debts.
For statutory transfers totalling N168 billion, the judiciary, through the National Judicial Council, is getting N78 billion; the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is billed to get nearly N50 billion; and the Universal Basic Education (UBE) will get N37.89 billion.
Huge spenders under the recurrent (non-debt) expenditure are the Police Formation and Commands (N184 billion); Education sector (N183.3 billion); Defence including the Ministry of Defence, Army, Air Force, and Navy (N176.2 billion); and Health sector (N103.8 billion).
The National Assembly is to share N104 billion among its offices, Senate, House of representatives, National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Legislative aides, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, House Committee on Public Accounts, and General Service Office.
In the capital vote, Works, Housing, and Urban Development sector is estimated to spend N171.8 billion; Agriculture and Water Resources sector, N116. 046, billion; and Power, N86.4 billion
The Senate based yesterday's passage on a report by its Committee on Appropriation. The report reads in part: "The Senate debated the general principles of the Bill. The Bill was read the second time and was committed to the Committee on Appropriation on Thursday, December 4, 2008. Pursuant to the Senate Standing Order 92 (4) (a), the Appropriation Committee immediately referred the proposals to the respective standing committees of the Senate, which operate as sub-committees of the Appropriation Committee for the purposes of Budget deliberations.
According to Omisore, the committee had several joint consultative sessions with the Minister of Finance, the Director-General, Budget Office; and other relevant revenue generating agencies to evaluate the assumptions and parameters of the budget with particular focus on the revenue accruable to the federation.
"These sessions with the relevant government agencies provided an opportunity for in-depth analysis of grave issues relating to the reality of the crude oil benchmark price, amidst the challenges of the volatile international oil market price which pose serious concerns to our fiscal outlook."
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday explained that the need to avoid further clash with the executive over the 2009 appropriation was the reason for the delay in its passage.
The chairman of the House committee on Media and Public Affairs, Eseme Eyiboh, gave the explanation in a chat with journalists at the National Assembly. The chairman said the appropriation and finance committees of the House were painstakingly going through all the items with a view to ensuring that all the T's and I's were crossed and dotted so that there would be no need for the executive to return it to the National Assembly as was the case with the 2008 appropriation.
"The House has not yet passed the 2009 Budget because of the desire to do a thorough work so that the budget does not go the way of the 2008 Budget. The relevant committees of the House are taking the pain to go through all the items contained in the budget so that when it is passed, there would not be any buck-passing that will again delay implementation, Eyiboh said.
He further appealed for patience and assured the exercise would be completed soon.
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