The proposed 2018 budget which Nigerians thought would take a paradigm shift from the traditional practice of delay in passage, has failed expectations as the budget sets a record of the most delayed in 19 years, BusinessDay calculation shows.
The 2018 budget marks the longest budget passage since Nigeria exited military rule to a democratic setting from 1999- till this present period.
Today makes it one year since the 2017 budget was passed by the National Assembly, yet 2018 proposed budget has not been passed despite continued assurance by Senate President Bukola Saraki that the 2018 budget would be presented this week.
Instead, both chambers of the National Assembly adjourned till Tuesday, May 15, 2018 without laying the proposal.
BusinessDay analysed the dates from when 2018 budget was presented to when it was assented from 1999-2018. The analysis shows that the 2018 budget as at May 10th marked 185 days from November 7th, 2017 when the budget was presented by President Muhammed Buhari.
Here are the dates and the period since 1999:
*2000 budget- November 24th, 1999- May 5th, 2000 – 163 days
*2001 budget- November 9th, 2000- December 21st, 2000- 43 days
*2002 budget- November 7th, 2001- march 28th, 2002- 141 days
*2003 budget- November 20th, 2002- April 10th, 2003- 142 days
*2004 budget- December 18th, 2003- April 21st, 2004- 125 days
*2005 budget- October 12th, 2004- April 12th, 2005- 183 days
*2006 budget- December 6th, 2005- April 22nd, 2006- 138 days
*2007 budget- October 6th, 2006- December 22nd, 2006 – 52 days
*2008 budget- November 8th, 2007- April 14th, 2008- 159 days
*2009 budget- December 2nd, 2008- December 17th, 2008- 16 days
*2010 budget- November 23rd, 2009- April 22nd, 2010- 146 days
*2011 budget- December 15th, 2010- April 26th, 2011-133 days
*2012 budget- December 13th, 2011- April 13th, 2012-123 days
*2013 budget- October 10th, 2012 – December 20th, 2012-72 days
*2014 budget- December 19th, 2013- April 9th, 2014-112 days
*2015 budget- December 17th, 2014- April 25th, 2015- 130 days
*2016 budget- December 22nd, 2015- March 23rd, 2016-93 days
*2017 budget- December 14th, 2016 – May 10th, 2017- 148 days
*2018 budget- November 7th, 2017- date- 185 days
“The countdown is when the proposed budget was presented till now which makes it the longest since 1999,” Ayomide Faleye, a Senior Analyst at BudgIT said.
“Considering the fact that we are advocating for a more transparent and accountable government, the Federal government and the National Assembly that is responsible for the release of the budget document are not sensitive to things that are of interest to the citizens,” She concluded.
Earlier this year, the Director General Budget Office of the Federation Ben Akabueze said that the government would soon introduce an ‘Organic Budget Law’ that would prescribe exact budget cycle timeframe from presentation till implementation.
“We are working on a law that would specify the time frame for the presentation of the budget by Mr. President to the National Assembly, the time the National Assembly should debate and pass the budget for the President’s accent and the time the President must signed it into law,”
We are conscious that there may be need for amendments and this would be taken care of in the proposal,” Akabueze said during in Abuja at the Lunchtime Reform Seminar on “Developments in the 2017 Budget’ organised by the Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the EU-SUFEGOR programme.
