(http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/thumbnail.php?file=EBELE_724603893.jpg&size=article_medium) President Jonathan President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday that he would sack all Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who lobbied the National Assembly to distort the 2012 budget.
The President stated this in his remarks shortly after signing the 2012 appropriation bill at the State House, Abuja.
Jonathan said the attitude of MDAs lobbying for increase of their budget by the National Assembly had been responsible for the difficulties in budget implementation.
He said that he already had security information on some heads of parastatal agencies who lobbied the National Assembly to increase the 2012 budget, adding that he would make scapegoats of them.
“One of the greatest problems I have noticed from the day I assumed office as a vice president in 2007 till date is that Federal Government budgets have not been based on proper planning. `
`In most cases, when the budget comes out from the Planning Ministry and Finance along the line, people distort the budget, especially some heads of MDAs go to lobby the National Assembly to put figures that are not based on planning.
“And that is why it has been very difficult for federal government to achieve targets.
``This year, we clearly frowned at it and I am going to use some heads of parastatals to show people our new direction. I got security reports – that some heads of MDAs came to lobby for their budgets to be increased; I will use some people as an example. I will ask them to leave because we cannot run a country without planning.
“We cannot run a budget that is not based on planning because these figures don't just come from the blues, people sat down and compute figures and see how it fits into fiscal responsibility and other issues.
``So we will not allow a situation where one person, because of personal interest will distort the budget of a nation,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the president as saying on Friday.
He pleaded with the National Assembly to always resist overtures from heads of MDAs to increase their budgets.
TheNation
The fact is not the talking as i said but the action. it is good tat you have decided to place a check to the extent u can but do you think you are ready to enforce your decision?