The Senate has directed its committees on Finance and Appropriation to invite the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to disclose the reason for the fall in revenue generation and the level of implementation of the 2013 budget.
This followed a debate on a motion, entitled: “Over bloated revenue estimates in the 2013 budget”, sponsored by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi) and 13 other senators on Thursday.
Ningi had on Wednesday drawn the attention of the Senate to comments allegedly made by the Minister of state for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, that the 2013 budget was unimplementable due to over bloated budget estimates.
Leading the debate on the motion, Ningi noted that the comment of the minister was aimed at blackmailing the National Assembly considering that all revenue variables were within the target expectations.
He maintained that such “unguarded statements” were capable of sending negative signals to Nigerians and the international community.
Ningi, who is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, said that contrary to the claim by the government that the oil benchmark was over bloated, oil price had not fallen below the projection.
The deputy leader observed that out of the N855.1 billion release made in the third quarter of the year, only 60 per cent had been cash backed.
Seconding the motion, Senator James Manager (PDP-Delta), said that the alleged comments by the Ngama was a wake up call to both arms of government.
Manager said it was wrong for the executive to apportion blame to the National Assembly, adding that such attitude amounted to passing the buck rather than taking responsibility.
Senator Mohammed Ali-Ndume said that it was wrong for Ngama to make such strong accusation, adding that it was capable of sending the wrong impression to the public that the Senate was incompetent.
Ali-Ndume said: “It is wrong for a minister to wake up and condemn the work we have done.
“He should have rather approached the Senate with a supplementary budget.”
The Chairman, Committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi (PDP-Kaduna), however, cautioned the Senate to apply wisdom in handling the matter.
Makarfi stressed that the National Assembly did not over bloat the revenue profile.
Ruling on the motion, the Senate President David Mark, criticised the committees for failing to oversight the relevant ministries, departments and agencies under their supervision.
Mark said that if the senators had carried out their responsibilities effectively, they would have known to what extent the budget had been implemented.
He said: “The more serious issue is the level of implementation of the budget and the releases.
“This is really a wake up call, because our various committees at various times ought to have found out whether enough money was being released to the MDAs they oversight or not.”
He said it was not the minister’s comment that should have sent that signal to the Senate.
Mark added: “I believe that if the committees don’t do their duties, then, at the end of the year, we might find out that the budget was implemented to only 20 per cent or 30 per cent.
“I think every quarter, each committee should be able to determine whether the budget has been properly implemented and whether releases have been made.
“For instance, if the level of production is down, there is a committee here that oversees NNPC, that committee ought to have known long ago that the level of production is down.
“If it is down because of theft, then it should have been brought to the Senate.
“Every revenue generating agency has a committee that oversights it.
“EWhy have we not brought this up?”
The Senate president said he had earlier received a letter from the minister saying he never made such comments about the budget.
He said: “This has been in the media since.
“Why didn’t they refute it?
“It means that all they are doing is taking things for granted.”
The committees on Finance and Appropriation are to report their findings to the Senate within three weeks.
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