CHUKWU DAVID reports that the National Assembly has cumulatively approved extension of 2023 Appropriation Act Implementation timeline for additional period of one year, thereby making the duration for last year’s budget implementation the longest since the nation’s return to civil rule in 1999
The National Assembly on June 27, approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to extend implementation of the capital component of the N21.83 trillion 2023 Appropriation Act, and the N2.1 trillion 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act, to December 31, 2024.
The implication of this action of the nation’s apex legislative Assembly, is that the capital allocations of the 2023 Appropriation Act, the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act, and the 2024 Appropriation Act, will run concurrently till December 31. It’s however, pertinent to point out that the present extension makes it the third time the implementation timeline of the 2023 budget and the supplementary appropriations would be extended.
Their life span was first extended to March 31, and later to June 30. The extension also means that the 2023 budget will be implemented for two years despite the existence of the 2024 budget, resulting in Federal Government implementing two budgets simultaneously, as the 2024 Appropriation Act is also running.
Before passing the bills proposing extension of implementation of the budgets, few minutes after the commencement of plenary, and the introduction of the bills by the Senate and House leaders, both chambers went into executive sessions to deliberate on the request of President Tinubu.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, read Tinubu’s letter on the floors of the Senate and the House of Representatives chambers. Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and Leader of the House of Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, moved separate motions urging both chambers to suspend their relevant rules to enable them consider the bills expeditiously.
The Senate
While leading debate on the bills in the Senate, Bamidele said that the extension was required to allow the Federal Government complete ongoing projects captured in the budgets, urging his colleagues to support the extension.
His words: “This bill intends to further extend the implementation period of the Acts to 31st December, 2024, given the strategic importance of some key projects nearing completion and to allow for continued implementation for the maximum benefit of the country. “Undoubtedly, this would go a long way to avoid the compounding problems of abandoned projects.
Hence, the need for the enactment of this proposed legislation to extend the implementation. I therefore, urge my colleagues to give their full support to these bills to allow for full utilisation of the capital releases to help reflate the economy.”
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Abba Moro, supported the extension of the appropriation bills, noting that there was a need for an extension of the budget, just as the Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) also pointed out that the main reason for the extension was to allow the Federal Government to complete ongoing capital projects.
Former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), in his contribution, observed that there were many uncompleted projects in different parts of the country, and appealed to his colleagues to disregard criticism of the extension of the budgets and approve the presidential proposal.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), while lending his voice to the debate, argued that the budgets should not be extended continuously, advising the lawmakers to ensure that the federal government implemented the projects as contained in the approved budget.
Responding, the President of the Senate, Akpabio, explained that the Senate chamber would monitor the implementation of the capital component through an oversight function “implementation is left to the executive, and oversight is left for the legislative.” After the contributions, Akpabio put the proposal for extension of the budgets to voice vote and the majority of the lawmakers supported it.
House of Reps
Leading the debate on the two bills in the House of Representatives, the House Leader, Ihonvbere, described them as straight forward and aimed at ensuring the completion of all ongoing capital projects captured in the two documents.
However, the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda, argued that while it was legally alright to extend the capital components of the budgets, it is morally wrong to have about four budgets running at the same time.
He stressed that, while the minority were not against completing capital projects in the budget, Nigerians were bound to ask questions on why the government should be extending the lifespan of the 2023 budget and 2023 Supplementary budget. Chinda said: “We cannot deny that capital projects are important to the country and to all of us.
That is why we may not oppose this so that the capital projects can continue. “Currently, we have three budgets running and we are still expecting the 2024 supplementary budget from the President. One of the greatest undoing of the PDP was the lack of a budget circle. The process of having four budgets running is not too good.”
He added that the House should step down the request and wait for the 2024 Supplementary Budget, articulate all the capital components contained in the budgets and those not completed in the 2023 budget which would be put in one document and passed.
Former House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said while the House should approve the president’s request, it should pass a message to the presidency on why they should put their acts together, warning his colleagues that they would be held accountable for all their actions. He said: “People out there will have questions and we must rise to the occasion.
We have two budgets running concurrently. That may be legal, but moral questions will always be raised. I am in support of the amendments, but we must send a signal that not everything must fly. Fortunately for us, the Leader of government is one that we all trust. The matters raised are important to all Nigerians.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas, appealed to members to support passage of the bills to allow for procurement of items contained in it which he said were more security related items.
However, despite the plea, majority of the lawmakers were not comfortable with the request for extension of the budgets as they kept on shouting “no, no.”
Following the disagreement, Abbas asked that the House go into an executive session for members to iron out issues before resuming consideration of the bills. After the closed door session, majority of the lawmakers immediately made U-turn and supported that the two bills be approved when they were put to voice vote by the speaker.
