×

Lawmakers Can Only Reduce Not Increase Budget Figures – Falana

The constitution allows the lawmakers to reduce the amount in the appropriation bill but they cannot increase it. This is the view of a Snr … Continue reading Lawmakers Can Only Reduce Not Increase Budget Figures – Falana


falanaThe constitution allows the lawmakers to reduce the amount in the appropriation bill but they cannot increase it.

This is the view of a Snr Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who spoke on the issue in an interview with Channels Television.

Mr Falana said that the lawmakers need to understand the limit of their powers with regards to the passing of the budget.

“The President shall prepare and lay before the National Assembly. It (the constitution) does not say in the course of debating the budget, the National Assembly shall prepare and lay before itself.

“Once you understand that, you will agree with me that any attempt to rewrite the budget without sending it to the Executive is illegal.

“What the National Assembly can do by way of debating or scrutinising that budget is (to ensure) that nobody has played a fast one on the country.

“If there is any suspicion that the figure has been inflated, the National Assembly can look at it but they cannot increase that figure.