Signing The 2017 Budget Was A Risk Osinbajo Took - Hon. Jibrin

Suspended member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has said Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, took a risk by signing the 2017 Budget.

In a statement released on Monday, Jibrin described Osinbajo’s action as the “most generous concession in budget negotiation by a president since 1999”.

The lawmaker recalled that last year, President Muhammadu Buhari refused to sign the document, until all “grey areas” were resolved and corrections effected by the House.

“He (Osinbajo) further stated that he agreed to sign the budget after the assurance of commitment from NASS to restore the lifted funds.

That demonstration of faith in NASS was unprecedented, and the most generous concession in budget negotiation by a President since 1999,” the statement read.

“No President has ever agreed to sign the budget into law on the basis of extracting a commitment from NASS. In this case of Ag President Osinbajo, perhaps beyond the respect he enjoins, he must strive to also be feared, through resistance to compromising settlements in his relationship with NASS.

“The reason isn’t far-fetched; all attempts to flatter and hoodwink President Buhari into signing the 2016 budget, by assuring to make corrections later, met an impenetrable brick wall. He saw through the smokescreen, and thus even refused to be blackmailed by threats of possible backlash from NASS if the budget is not signed before corrections are made and also the need to save time.

“No President was ready to take the risk with NASS but Osinbajo did, as it appeared like striking a deal with an untrustworthy partner. Whether this seeming pact is calculated or not, is left for time and the scrutiny of vigilant and critical Nigerians to determine. What is obvious, however, is the Ag President has played into the hands of NASS.

“What the Ag President has given to NASS is a victory it has never had in the budget process since 1999, understandably to strengthen the relationship between the two frequently hostile arms of government. And so, he deserves a reciprocal gesture and unmistakable friendship from the lawmakers, not attacks and threats.”

By Ifreke Inyang

Dogara Says NASS Has Constitutional Powers To Alter The Budget

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Thursday said that the National Assembly has powers to alter national budget according to the desire of the citizens.

He stated this during plenary after Rep. Abubakar Lawal (APC- Adamawa) drew the attention of the lower chamber to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s remarks.

Osinbajo’s was reported in the media to have said that the power of appropriation was vested with the executive.

According to Dogara, it is left to the judiciary to interpret which arm of the government has the powers to alter the budget according to the Constitution.

“This issue is left to the judiciary to interpret to us as to what arm of government has power to do what. For me, this is not an issue we should dwell so much on.

“I don’t want to believe that the Acting President made that statement because when it comes to the budget, the power of the purse rests with the parliament.

“The executive is just one man; every other person in the executive arm is answerable to the president alone. The relationship is that of master and servant, but for the parliament, it is that of equals.

“Even, when the president hasn’t said anything, everyone is trying to read what the body language is; the basis of democracy is collaboration.

“In the case of the budget, if the parliament disagrees with the executive, the worst that would happen is that they will refuse to sign the budget.

“In that case, we can override the veto of the President and pass it into law.

“The worse the Executive can say is that they will not implement. The question then will be, is that the law of the land? Anyone with honour, who is in the seat, should know the right thing to be done.

“In case of the executive, everyone knows the consequence and I don’t want to mention it by its name.

“This house is not going to be a rubber stamp to the executive arm.

“In the United States where we borrowed our Constitution from, once the president walks into the chamber with the budget proposal, it becomes dead on arrival.

“It is therefore what the parliament decides that brings it back to life.

“The priority of the people may not be that of the executive. This kind of talk is not helpful, so we shouldn’t even take a debate on the issue,” Dogara said.

Earlier, mover of the motion, Lawal, stated that the acting president’s speech had undermined the powers of the national assembly.

“I read in the media where the acting president was quoted as saying that the national assembly does not have the powers to alter the country’s budget.

“This will undermine the powers that sections 4, 5 and 9 of the Constitution have given the National Assembly, the power to make laws.

“Order 12(19) spells out the procedure, so for someone to come out and say that we have no power, it’s a breach of our privilege,’’ he said.

Osibanjo had while signing the 2017 Appropriation Bill on Monday stated that the alteration of the budget by the national assembly had distorted the plans of the executive in implementing the 2017 budget. 

(NAN)

Osinbajo Finally Signs 2017 Budget

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo has finally signed the 2017 Appropriation Bill into law.

Osinbajo signed the document which was transmitted from the National Assembly to the Presidency a forth night ago at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The announcement was made by the Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Engagement Unit, Bashir Ahmad, on Monday.

Ahmad, who took to his twitter handle, wrote: “Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has signed the #Budget2017 into law at exactly 4:42 PM in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.”

DAILY POST had earlier reported that barring any last minute change, the Acting President was billed to sign the 2017 budget into law today. 

By Seun Opejobi

JUST IN: Acting President Osinbajo To Sign Budget By 3pm Today

Barring any last minute change, the Acting President, Yemi Oinbajo will sign the 2017 budget into law by 3pm, on Monday.

This announcement was made by the Special Adviser to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki on New Media, Bamikole Omisore, on his social media handle @MrBanksOmisore.

According to Omisore, Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara would join Osinbajo at the presidential villa for the signing of the budget.

“Today at 3:00pm Senate President @bukolasaraki will join AG @ProfOsinbajo for the signing of 2017budget at Presidential Villa in @AsoRock,” he wrote on his twitter handle.

Recall that the National Assembly, NASS, had recently transmitted the budget to the Presidency for assent but reports had it that the Acting President was scrutinising the document.

By Seun Opejobi

2017 Budget Will Be Signed Into Law Next Week - Dogara

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has disclosed that the 2017 budget will be signed into law next week.

Dogara made this known on the floor of the House on Friday.

He also expressed delight that the House has kept to its promise to carry out a Budget reform that will ensure that the 2017 Appropriations Bill is processed in a transparent manner.

Dogara said, “On issue of Budget, we kept our promise to Nigerians at the beginning of the legislative session to ensure transparent deliberation and passage of the 2017 Appropriations Bill which will be signed into law early next week.

“We have also carried out significant Budget Reforms. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a Public Hearing was conducted in the National Assembly to get the input of Nigerians in the budgetary process.

“Further reforms introduced include the details of the Appropriation Act being available to all members before passage in plenary; the requirement that members of each Committee should sign the Report of their Committees before being sent to the Committee on Appropriations.

“All these novel measures are unprecedented in the history of our Parliament. These proactive measures ensured that the House’s debate and consideration of the 2017 budget proposal presented by the President was evidence based and geared towards galvanizing the economy for greater growth.”

By Wale Odunsi

Buhari Has 30Days To Sign The Budget – Pally Iriase

Deputy Whip of the House of Representatives, Pally Iriase, has said there is still time for President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the 2017 budget into law.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Iriase said the 30 days within which the president is expected to sign the budget had not elapsed.

“You should not be surprised because budget in a presidential system is always a controversial thing to deal with,” he said.

“US is regarded as the bastion of democracy, isn’t it? But you know that the US economy has suffered because of disagreements here and there, but that is not the situation here… after the passage of the budget, if you’ve started counting, I’m not sure we have gone beyond the prerequisite 30 days.

“The president is still within time… They are doing their own analysis and they are making their own consultation. You can go wrong in making consultations”, he added.

The 2016 budget expired on May 2017.

By Ifreke Inyang