The Senate on Tuesday berated the Executive over what it called the shoddy 2018 Budget proposal submitted for consideration.
The Senate said this shows lack of seriousness on the part of Executives.
The federal lawmakers down came hard on the executive after a closed door session, which lasted for 43 minutes.
Most of the Senators who spoke on the budget raised issues with the alleged lackadaisical attitude of heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government to budget defence sessions organised by the National Assembly.
The lawmakers also said there is no coordination between the 2018 Budget and the 2017 Budget, adding that the December target for passing the budget was not feasible, blaming it on poor implementation of the 2017 Budget.
Coming through a Point of Order on the 2018 Budget, the Deputy Leader, Senator Ibn Bala Na’Allah, said it is for the Senate to alert Nigerians on what is going with the budget.
Na’Allah said the reports coming from the Senate’s standing committees revealed that there is serious problem with the 2018 Budget because the Executive promised that 60 per cent of the 2017 Budget would be rolled over to 2018, but the report from the committees showed that not up to 20 per cent has been implemented.
He added that the template that was inherited from the military government is part of the problem facing the country’s budget.
Also in his contribution, Senator Barnabas Gemade said the promise by the Executive that 40 per cent of the budget would be implemented in 2017 and remaining 60 per ent would be rolled over to the 2018 Budget, but what is happening with ongoing budget defence does not show so.
Gemade proposed March 31 for the expiration of the 2017 Budget so that it could be implemented fully.
According to him, the executive should come out with a report of implementation of the 2017 Budget, adding: “I also propose that the 2017 Budget should expire March 31 and start the 2018 Budget on April 1 for 2018 Budget.
Senator Mao Ohabunwa said it is very clear that the passage of the budget is not going to be possible as “expected considering what we have experienced at the committee level”.
According to him, it is very clear that it is not going to be possible to pass the budget before the end of this year.
He said: “We were promised that by the end of the year, 50 per cent of the budget would be implemented but up till now not up to 20 per cent has been implemented by the executive.
“There is no correlation between 2017/2018 budget.”
In his remarks, the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said it is disheartening and disappointing with reports “we got from our varrious committees on the 2018 budget”.
