Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker House of Representatives is disturbed
by what he calls fantastic contradictions and precarious state of affairs in
Nigeria.
Way out: We must effect drastic changes now or face terrible
consequences later, he averred.
Speaking at the Nigerian Institute of Management’s NIM, 2013
Distinguished Management lecture in Lagos, on Tuesday, Tambuwal, who was
represented by Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, chairman, Legislative Budget and Research
of the House of Representatives, said: “Today, we live in a country of
fantastic contradictions. We have great human and material resources yet we are
always on the list of countries with the worst poverty index; our economy is
alleged to be growing but the lives of the majority of our citizens do not
convey this testimony.
Corruption and violence
Wwe have more places of worship per square metre than most nations on this
earth yet corruption and violence threaten our very survival; we have some of
the best agricultural lands in the world but we import food; we are the
sixth largest producer of crude oil, but we import fuel; we have lived together
as a nation for 100 years yet daily you hear stories of threats of our
impending break up. One can go on and on because the list is endless.
“Over the years successive governments have made efforts to deal with
this menace. That these conditions exist is well known to all persons in
authority but the results of these successive efforts have failed to yield the
desired results. This therefore is the justification for the radical change
from the present approach to a revolutionary one.”
To set September deadline for budget submission
Tambuwal emphasised the need for a budget law that will address the anomalies
currently recorded in the budgeting process and prevent a recurrence of
rancor between the legislature and the executive.
According to him, we in the Legislature are becoming increasingly
concerned about the over celebration of input-oriented budget that does not
incorporate a feed back mechanism for output and outcomes and believe that now
is the time to redress this error.
He noted that only two sections of the constitution deal with the
budget, adding that one of the sections, which states that the Presidency can
spend from the Excess Account for six months while the budget is awaiting
passage, makes the President one of the most powerful presidents in the world.
His words: “The National Assembly is in the process of amending the
provisions concerning the budget that will make it mandatory for the president
to have up till September ending to submit the budget for the coming year to
the National Assembly. This is to allow the National Assembly three months to
deliberate and pass the budget.
“It is perhaps important to emphasise that ifour economy is to
be turned around, our annual budgets must prioritise programmes and projects
that deliberately address issues of poverty alleviation, job creation and
security of lives and property. A consistently good annual appropriation,
coupled with other legislations that create conducive business environment will
result in a revolutionary turn around of our economy and infrastructure.
“Now I refer to both physical infrastructures like roads, aviation
facilities, hospitals, housing among others as well as human infrastructure
which include qualitative, relevant and continuing education of the citizenry
including moral education. Our cherished values must be incorporated into our
educational and social upbringing.”
Scrutinising legislatures’ pay, an attempt to discredit legislature
He described the public outcry over the pay package of members of the National
Assembly as an attempt to ridicule the legislature, especially in the area of
constituency projects. He said the pay package of the legislature was not a
hidden matter and that it is the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation
Commission, RMFAC, the body responsible for fixing the amount earned by the
legislatures that should be tasked with publicising the amount earned by
members of the National Assembly.
He, however, wondered why Nigerians should be concerned about how much
National Assembly members earn, saying that over the last six years, the
National Assembly’s portion of the budget has always been around N150 billion
annually compared to the total budget of about N4 trillion yearly.
He said, “There is a deliberate attempt to destroy the oversight
function of the legislature. The public outcry is not really about the pay of
the National Assembly members, but an attempt to discredit the legislative arm
of government so that the oversight function can be destroyed.
“However, I wonder why the focus on constituency projects, considering
the fact that the amount for projects in each constituency is
insignificant. It is also important to note that the National Assembly
does not carry out constituency projects. The projects are domiciled in the
various ministries. It is only the duties of a legislator to write to the
various ministries to ensure that projects are carried out.
“From the perspective of legislation, perhaps the most critical role
that the legislature plays is through the annual appropriation bill. Every
year, pursuant to the Constitution, the executive submits its budget estimates
for legislative scrutiny and the appropriation bill is at the root of the
economy. As representatives of the people, the legislature ensures that the
more critical needs of the people get priority attention.
Furthermore, efforts are made to ensure equitable distribution of
projects. The effort of the National Assembly to handle appropriation to meet
the yearning and aspirations of the people has been met with serious
resistance, yet it is something we must do.”
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