By Olusegun Lawrence. President Muhammadu Buhari, has been given a two-week ultimatum to submit the 2017 budgets of about 38 federal agencies to the National Assembly for approval.
The Senate gave the ultimatum on Wednesday at plenary.
The agencies that have refused to forward their budgets for approval include NNPC, FIRS, NPA, NIMASA, CBN, Customs, NDDC among others.
Sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, tagged
“Non-submission of 2017 budget by public corporations in violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act”, the Senate further directed the agencies concerned to stop execution of capital projects pending approval of their budgets.
“Non-compliance to the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act constitutes abuse of power and economic sabotage, aimed at frustrating the current economic measures been taken by the present administration to address economic recession.
“The absence of penalties in the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, may have emboldened and encouraged the perpetuation of this Act. The Fiscal Responsibility Commission is failing in its responsibility through complacence in the execution of this mandate,” Na’Allah submitted.
Prompt News recalls that Senate had at plenary on Tuesday, frowned at non-submission of budgets by about 38 agencies mostly revenue generating ones, urging the executive to comply with the provision of the constitution.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, had said, “We must be begin to show that we operate by the laws we make. We cannot be going back and forth. It is our responsibility to compel the agencies concerned to submit their budgets for approval.
“We must give agencies an ultimatum to agencies to submit their budgets for appropriation by the National Assembly.”
