Lawan keeps Nigerians waiting on NASS budget details

Sunday Aborisade,  Abuja

 

The delay by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, to give details of the 2020 National Assembly budget, based on his promise while campaigning for the seat, is generating concerns within the federal parliament.

 Lawan had during the campaign,  published a legislative agenda containing details of his plans for the red chamber if elected President of the 9th Senate.

 As part of the agenda, Lawan had pledged to give details of the 2020 National Assembly budget the moment the federal budget was signed into law by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

 The federal lawmakers had increased the 2020 National Assembly budget from N125bn proposed by the executive to N128bn without explaining reasons for the increment.

 The National Assembly budget usually comes under statutory transfer just like that of the judiciary in the nation’s budget, without details attached.

However, a former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, broke the jinx in April last year, when he released part of the National Assembly’s 2018 budget.

 The 45-page document showed that a total of N139,500,000,000 was budgeted for the National Assembly in the year 2018.

Of the sum, N35,582,085,699 was earmarked for the Senate, while the House of Representatives got N57,425,137,793.

 The document showed that N10,202,095,928 was budgeted for legislative aides, while the National Assembly office got N15,389,235,912.

 The National Assembly Commission got N2,736,081,266.

 The National Assembly Legislative Institute got N4,373,813,596,  while N1,145,143,254 was appropriated for service-wide vote of the legislature.

 The release came on the heels of the pressure mounted on the Senate by Nigeria’s budget watchdog, BudgIT.

Attempts to find out from Lawan,  when he would make good his promise to publish details of the budget failed as of the time of filing this report.

 His Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, had yet to respond to our correspondent’s enquiries on the issue.

 The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Godiya Akwashiki,  however, attributed the delay in the release of the budget details to the fact that the national budget had just been signed into law.

 He said, “The budget has just been signed; it is a public document. Copies of the budget have not been circulated.

 “Since the President of the Senate has promised to make the details of the National Assembly budget public, I want to believe that he will do what he promised.

 “Budget is a public document and there is nothing secret about it.”

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