Rep Members Protest Against 2018 Budget Presentation

The President asked to be allowed to lay the estimates on Tuesday, November 7.

His request was contained in a letter that the Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, read to members during plenary in Abuja.

At the Senate, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, read the letter to senators.
“Pursuant to Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution, may I crave the kind indulgence of the National Assembly to grant me the slot of 1400hrs (2pm) on Tuesday, 7th of November, 2017 to formally address a joint session and lay before the National Assembly the estimates of the 2018 budget proposal,” Buhari wrote.

However, at the House, Dogara had hardly completed reading the letter when lawmakers started protesting.

Amid the shouts of “no,” “no,” some members were heard asking, “What about the 2017 budget? Have they implemented the 2017 budget? No, take it (letter) back.”

Others also said they would prefer to receive the President by 11 am and not 2pm.

But, Dogara reminded the lawmakers that under the constitution, they could not refuse to receive the appropriation bill from the President.

He noted that while the constitution provided that the President “shall cause the estimates of the budget to be prepared and laid” before the legislature, it did not provide that lawmakers could refuse to receive it.

“Honourable colleagues, unfortunately, the constitution does not provide that we can refuse to receive the budget estimates,” the speaker added and admitted Buhari’s letter.

The Federal Government plans to spend about N8.6tn next year, a jump of about 15 per cent from the N7.44tn budgeted for the current year.

The figures were contained in the 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, which Buhari had earlier sent to the National Assembly in compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

The House also asked the Federal Government to stop the proposed restructuring of the Growth and Employment Project and the alleged diversion of the remaining $35m from its account to other uses.

The resolution followed a motion moved by a member from Benue State, Mr. Teseer Mark-Gbillah.
The GEM is an empowerment project conceptualized by the government under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment aimed at job creation and increased non-oil growth through the empowerment of 4,000 Small and Medium Enterprises across the country.

The House noted that in only three months of appointing a coordinator to run the project, the officer was being paid $4.9m per month.

Besides, the coordinator is alleged to be initiating to restructure the project to move the balance of $35m into the funding of a parallel SME fund.

The House specifically directed the Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the GEM Project Team and the World Bank to halt the planned withdrawal of the $35m.

The House also ordered an investigation into the matter to be conducted within six weeks.

Source: Polictics