Saraki inaugurates budget reform committee

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

Senate President Bukola Saraki has inaugurated a Budget Reform Committee to review budget process in the country.

The event comes few days after the former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation Abdulmumin Jibrin accused the Speaker Yakubu Dogara and chairmen of some committees of injecting N280billion projects in the 2016 budget.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja on Monday, the Senate President expressed concern that budget processes over the years were marred with several irregularities, leading to inadequate implementation of budget.

He said the establishment of the committee was informed by the need to chart a new course for effective implementation of future budgets.

His words: “One of our major functions is the passage of the annual budget. Over the years, the National Assembly and executive have expressed dissatisfaction that come the budget.

“Following the last budget exercise and in line with our Legislative Agenda, we are taking a decision to review the budget processes and see how best we can improve on it.

“This is not new but the only difference this time is we hope we will be able to complete it.

“It has been said in the past we have not been able to review our budget processes. It is my belief that the 8th National Assembly will make this happen.

“It is a fact that annual budgets are yet to be fully aligned with our development goals, from conceptualisation, approval to implementation”.

He called for reform of the national budget for continuity of projects, especially in the event of change in leadership at the national level.

Saraki urged the committee to come up with a Budget Bill that would create a road map for timely passage and implementation of the budget among other things.

“It is expected that the committee would work within the time frame to come up with a budget bill that close the structural and procedural gaps that will lead to transparency.

“A bill that will design the legislative framework to provide for effective oversight of budget accounts.

“A bill that will find efficient timelines for the entire budget process and to enable the National Assembly to adequately interrogate the budget bills before passage,’’ he said.

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee and Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, assured that the committee would work within the time frame to come up with a budget bill that would address all the concerns raised by the Senate President.

The Committee has two months to submit its report.