How renewed cold war between Senate, Presidency may stall 2018 budget

The fragile relationship between the Senate and the Executive arm of government, may have collapsed, with the 2018 budget proposals of the federal government bearing the brunt.

Findings by Ripples Nigeria, showed that the recent Court of Appeal judgment, wherein the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was asked to return to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), to face three charges of under declaration of assets, may have triggered the new face-off.

The renewed face-off, it was gathered, may affect the consideration and passage of the 2018 budget by the Senate.

Strong indications to this assertion first emerged on Monday, when the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Mustapha Baba Shehuri and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry (Power), Mr. Louis Edozien, were turned back by the Senate committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy.

This is despite the fact that they (Minister and Permanent Secretary) spent almost two hours with the committee to defend their Ministry’s budget. Although shocking revelations were made during the exercise, the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, were asked to go.

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No new date has been fixed for them to return, in company of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

Another indication occurred on Tuesday, when the budget defence of three Ministries, were also suspended. Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was asked to go, when he also appeared before Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe-led committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy.

Like the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing and the Permanent Secretary, Kayode was not told when to return to defend the budget of the Ministry and agencies under his supervision.

Similarly, two committees, Health, headed by Senator Lanre Tejuoso and Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, headed by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, discontinued the budget defence of the Ministry of Health.

The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole and Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire were asked to return at another yet-to-be announced date to continue their budget defence.

Heads of agencies under the Ministry, who accompanied the two Ministers, were also asked to go. No date was given to them either, on when to return.

Multiple sources familiar with the development, told Ripples Nigeria that the consideration and passage of the 2018 budget may be delayed till the end of first quarter of next year, if the Federal Government goes ahead to restart the prosecution of Saraki.

It was reliably gathered that lawmakers will insist on the full implementation of the capital component of the 2017 budget, before the 2018 Appropriation Bill will be considered and passed into law.

Since some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), have only recorded less than 20 per cent of capital projects’ performance, in the previous year’s budget, it was learnt that the various committees will soon swing into action and ensure that the budget is fully implemented.

It was equally learnt that the non-release of about N200 billion, captured in the 2016 and 2017 budgets, meant for constituency projects of lawmakers, may also hinder the consideration and passage of the 2018 budget.

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