President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to reprimand any Minister who goes to the national Assembly to lobby increase in the money allocated to the Ministries, Agencies or Departments, as that had in the past led to distortion in the budget.
The president stated this in his office today while assenting to the 2012 budget of N4.697 trillion recently passed by the national assembly.
According to the president, “we need proper planning, no lobbying.”
He promised to use any government official involving in lobbying the national assembly over budget matter as an example as he urged the lawmakers to also repel the lobbyists.
“Drive those who come to lobby away. I will use some people as an example” he stated, adding that “we cannot run a country without planning. We will not allow personal interest to distort the budget. There will be a better plan than this.”
Present at the signing ceremony were the representative of the Senate president, Chief Enyinnaya Abaribe and the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha .
The President in December 2011 presented the 2012 budget proposal with a total expenditure of N4.749 trillion based on a benchmark oil price of US$70 per barrel to the National Assembly for appropriation.
But the National Assembly in March 2012 reviewed the budget and passed a budget of N4.697 trillion based on a benchmark oil price of $72 dollar per barrel.
The 2012 appropriation bill called a “budget of fiscal consolidation, conclusive economic growth and job creation” is made of capital expenditure which is to the tune of N1.34trillion and recurrent expenditure amounting to N3.35 trillion. .
The budget has an aggregate expenditure of N4.697 trillion excluding the appropriation of N180 billion for programme and projects under the SURE programme which has since been cancelled due to the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy.
The president called for more cooperation from the National Assembly, pledging to present the 2013 budget by September.
“This year we have challenges, it was quite choking but we will do better for next year and I hope to present the next budget in September” he declared.
Read the full speech of the President while signing the budget here.