Budget 2018 suffers more setback as senators face-off with FG officials

A report by The Guardian indicates that the face-off between the Senate and ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) over the latter’s failure to make budget details available to the National Assembly, may have dimmed any hope of an early approval of the N8.612trillion national budget. 

According to the report, the upper legislative chamber is insisting that until it gets details of the MDAs budgets, the 2018 budget stands delayed. Last week, the Senate gave a one-week ultimatum to all MDAs to submit the details of their budgets, adding that of the 64 federal agencies captured in the 2018 budget, only one has submitted its budget details to the National Assembly. 

INEC A member of the Senate appropriation committee, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, recently disclosed that the MDAs failure to submit the details might stall its early passage. 

Ibrahim, who is also the chairman of the Senate committee on banking, insurance and other financial institutions, further disclosed that the Senate might also ignore the MDAs and proceed with the submissions already made by President Muhammadu Buhari in the budget estimates, pointing out that the Senate would not continue to wait for the MDAs indefinitely. 

Ibrahim said: “The speed at which the budget will be passed will depend on the seriousness of the MDAs. And that is why the Senate gave an ultimatum. But if the MDAs fail to come forward, the Senate will do the budget the way we feel is best for Nigeria. We can even ignore them and proceed to prepare the budget based on the president’s submission. 

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