Counting Budget Performance

[MrVan]

HOW far can the House of Representatives go in its bid to impeach the President? It seems it would end with issuing the threat. Once known for progressive steps, the House has descended into a morass with the series of scandals that it generates.

It has been a bad year for the House with almost every move resulting in a bigger scandal than what it set out to amend. From the investigation of the capital market to the petroleum subsidy probes, the House smeared itself.

Nigerians expect members to concentrate on sanitising the House on which many Nigerians built high expectations, especially in the midst of the January crisis over the increase in the price of fuel.

As things are, nobody expects the fuel subsidy probe to resolve anything. From all sides, spirited efforts are mostly in ensuring the matter departs from public view. Success in this direction would save the House from the biggest embarrassment since its inauguration last year.

We are in support of moves to have the President implement the budget. It is illegal for any President to implement the budget differently without amending it according to the law. Many forget that the budget is a law. Any changes in it must be through amendment process that the law recognises.

"The President, by failing to implement the budget as passed by this honourable House, violates the 1999 Constitution and is therefore liable to be impeached under section 143 of the 1999 Constitution," Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Minority Leader, said as debates on the issue raged.

Budget performances are considered unimportant. The practice has been on for years. Various committees of the National Assembly that oversee the ministries, departments and agencies of government are compromised. They raise alarm over abuse of the budget where their interests are not protected, otherwise there is no problem.

The more ignored aspect of the budget – capital projects – is the one that creates opportunities though infrastructure and jobs for many. Government is implementing the recurrent side of the budget well – salaries, vehicles, furnishing of offices, travels and the daily expenses that go into running its activities.

Reports from the House's 20 key committees indicate that budget implementation for Works, Agriculture, Customs, Gas, and Petroleum (Upstream), among others, was less than 30 per cent.

The House, whatever its intentions, and important as budget implementation is, is not on a strong footing to impeach the President. Moreover, it requires the concurrence of the Senate.

We suggest the House spends a good part of its recess working at regaining the credibility its swirling scandals are eroding. Without crossing those hurdles, its efforts at morality would be sheer grandstanding.

 

Vanguard Nigeria