One of the shocking revelations Tuesday by the Federal Government was the assertion that some MDAs have not mastered the art of utilizing budgetary allocations to them. This was made known by the Director General , Budget office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze.
He spoke during the Hangout for social media influencers and CSOs on appropriation and budget process with the hashtag #NILSBudgetReform. The Hangout was hosted by the National Institute for Legislative Studies,NILS, Abuja.
Akabueze who cited the health sector for example said despite agitations by CSOs for increased allocations to the sector,there are still records of unutilized capital budget.
The execution of such capital budgets is often hampered by systemic and capacity issues, he said.
The DG budget office also lampooned the existing Federal Procurement Act which he described as one not designed to aid development.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Director General, NILS, Dr Ladi Hamalai identified some the efforts the institute has been making towards ensuring better budget process. She advocated for punishment for poor implementation as well as reward for those who perform well.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, shed some light into the budget process. CitING practical examples, he said budget battles between NASS and Presidency are not targeted at the president in person. He said the lawmakers always struggle to attract projects to their constituencies.
Enang also corrected the impression that there is anything called padding by lawmakers.He said it was wrong to call it padding because no one should expect the lawmakers to just return what has been presented to them without their input.
Also speaking during the #NILSBudgetReform hangout, Mr Kingsley Amaku,Special Assistant to the Senate President on Legislative Matters canvassed the need to broaden budget conversation and planning to fill in gaps.
