The National Assembly Health and Appropriation committees have resolved to push the executive to ensure that budgets passed for all sectors are implemented for the benefit of Nigerians.

This is part of the outcome of a three-day retreat by the committees, on ways to improve Nigeria’s health sector.

Also present at the retreat held at the Pan African Parliament in Johannesburg, were lawmakers from Swaziland and Zimbabwe, who shared experiences from their country.

One of the representatives addressing the committees said “you can make thousands of laws but if they are not implemented, you are just as good as doing nothing”.

Experts in budget research were also on hand to present their findings regarding budgetary performance in Nigeria.

“Instated of allocating more money to health in blanket, let us focus on capital expenditures, because that is what translates to what people get.

“Then quarterly budget releases and implementation report, how can we be deliberating a new budget, if we have not seen the report of what has been vetted in the past.

“The last thing I would recommend is access to the health ministry audit report.
A lot of things have been identified, what exactly are we doing concerning those issues,” an expert said.

According to the committees, “everything begins and falls with leadership” and following the retreat, they are set to enforce the adequate implementation of all budgets from 2017.