Presidency, Senate justify rejigging 2016 budget

The Presidency and some senators have justified the need for rejigging the 2016 budget, even as the money bill is expected to scale through second reading at the resumption of the upper legislative chamber next week.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had presented a N6.08 trillion budget proposal on December 22 and has come under criticisms from Nigerians, especially in areas relating to the Presidency.

For instance, analysts have queried the N3.6 billion for unspecified BMW saloon cars and N189.1million for purchase of tyres for bulletproof and regular Mercedes Benz cars.

Also, observers have questioned the allocation of N39.1billion to the Ministry of Information; as against N13billion for the Transportation Ministry; N7billion for Water Resources; N10.5billion for Industry, Trade and Investment ministries, as well as N6billion for Labour and Employment.

But speaking on condition on anonymity, a Presidency source confirmed that the essence of rejigging the budget proposal was to carry out ‘minor adjustments’.

According to the source, what the executive had done was to carry out some adjustments, insisting that such process cannot be described as withdrawal.

“It is not withdrawal as people are saying, but there are actually a few adjustments here and there,” he stated.

Reacting to the development, Ali Ndume, Senate Leader, said the appropriation bill is not cast in stone and can be adjusted even after presentation to a joint session of the National Assembly.

“Budget proposal is not a document that is sacrosanct, you can adjust it and this is why it is before us. During the budget defence, it can be adjusted if need be”, Ndume stated in a telephone interview.

Corroborating Ndume’s statement, Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Kabiru Gaya, said although the budget has not been withdrawn, it can be adjusted by reviewing the sectoral allocations, without altering the N6.08trillion initial budget.

He said: “The adjustment can also be done even while we are still discussing the budget. Once the main figure did not change it is possible to make the adjustment. Both chambers of the National Assembly will for instance, tinker with the figures, especially as it affects overheads. If we are cutting 30 percent from the National Assembly budget, then it has to be done, pro rata.

“ We must cut across 30 percent of the agencies, ministries and all other government parastatals. There is duplication of figures like purchase of computers. When all the duplications are discovered, it is necessary to take them out”.

Talking to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Ita Enang, denied the withdrawal, but argued that there is nothing wrong in adjusting the money bill ‘behind the scene’.

Enang said: “To my knowledge, the budget as laid by Mr President on the 22nd of December 2015 is still with the National Assembly and has not be withdrawn.

“If there is, there is always a communication and the budget is not such a sensitive thing that it cannot be dealt with behind the scene. It can be worked on behind the scene after second reading.”