The need for a sustainable budgetary process

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yomi Osinbajo took the oath of office on May 29, 2015 with so much euphoria and hysteria. Eleven months plus since the oath taking and five months into the year, the 2016 budget has not been signed into law. In Nigeria’s socio-political history no budget has ignited so much controversy as the 2016 budget. The budget has been embroiled in a trilogy of impunity- padding, missing and removal of some budgetary allocations.

Aside the padding, which was obvious as some government ministers disowned budgetary provisions of their ministries, the other two issues could be described as subjects of half-truths, assumptive speculations, accusations and counter accusations and unwarranted propaganda that defines the anatomy of power play intrinsically exhibited amongst Nigeria’s political elite. Though the budget and allocations therein has been celebrated by the government and its party – the All Progressive Congress – as a budget of change, issues around the budget process speak otherwise. This is because outcomes are contingent on processes. In this sense is it possible to achieve a positive outcome from a flawed budgetary process? For me the answer remains no. One very important thing we should realise is that the end can only be justified if the means in itself is at par with the end.

It is therefore important going forward for government to reform its budgetary processes. The philosophy that government budgeting is about allocation of monies to projects to satisfy politicians and enhance corruption should be discarded. The ethnicization of the budgetary process, a kind of negative social identity philosophy that encourages the allocation of budgetary provisions based on tribe or community of political elites even when the need for such is unwarranted and the resources required barely available should be discontinued. A budget must be treated as a strategic policy document that defines a country’s socio-economic direction for a particular fiscal year.

In contemporary times a budget must also be developed and implemented bearing in mind sustainability- social, economic and environmental components of society. On the social aspect, government budgets at all levels must address inequality, diversity, poverty, right to be educated and social tensions pillaging our society. Budgets must address economic rights of citizens, wealth creation and infrastructural development. While environmentally, budget must ensure that the protection and safeguard of our ecosystem is paramount. The neglect of these important components over the years resulted in the unhealthy situation we have found ourselves today as a country.

For sustainability to be embedded within Nigeria’s budgetary process, it must be integrated within all ministries, departments and agencies-MDAs. This is imperative because the MDAs are the enablers in the budgeting value chain. The notion that budgeting is situated only within the domain of the ministry of budget and planning is a misconception. All MDAs are involved in the process, hence the need to domicile the sustainability mindset across all MDAs. Doing this will eliminate assumptive, imaginary, speculative, unrealistic and arbitrage focus budgeting process for a need based budgeting focus which epitomizes sustainability.

Nevertheless getting started requires the repositioning of the public sector workplace. The workplace must be conducive and ensure the permeation of sustainability. Employees must be seen as knowledge workers, with their personal and professional development considered essential and linked to the value required of government to Nigerians. Building a competent, innovative and responsible civil service protected from negative political exposure- manipulative and exploitative will serve as a catalyst in advancing a budgetary process that is sustainability driven. In my opinion the consistency about the 2016 budget is that it is a product of a defective process. Such is unacceptable if a budget must be a good for the commonality of society.

Though some will argue that the 2016 budget has provisions for social intervention with an allocation of N500 Billion, however what they have failed to question is the strategic thought process and mechanism developed for this? How will this social intervention be monitored and measured for success or failure to help us do better as we progress? My argument remains that the social intervention scheme should be stepped down from the 2016 budget for better strategic planning and thereafter included in the 2017 budget. This will ensure the alignment of a sustainable funding mechanism, with effective monitoring, and development of a competent measuring scale that will continuously demonstrate progress.

It is time for us to note that mediocrity and propaganda will not get us anywhere. In as much as we must think and plan short term and middle term, in all these plans futurism must be the driving reality. Therefore we cannot afford to continue with unsustainable budgets. It is not a gargantuan ask that government at all levels in Nigeria must ensure that their budget process is in line with sustainable budgetary framework that is human centric. This is the starting point if government is truly committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Government should note that our drive towards sustainable development will continue in sloganeering if the budgetary framework approach- development and implementation deviates from sustainable budgeting- openness, transparency, accountability, society focus and being human centric.

Godson Ikiebey