Some civil society groups in Nigeria have called for proper monitoring of budget implementation and early presentation of the appropriation bill to the National Assembly, as they pose major setback to the full implementation of the nation’s budget.
Members for the group told Channels Television in Abuja on Friday that while the capital budget makes provision for critical sectors of the economy like power, roads and transportation, only 45 per cent of its implementation had been achieved in the past 12 years.
The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, pointed out that beyond the ceremonial presentation of the budget, there should be synergy between government agencies and federal lawmakers to prevent the back and forth arguments that arise during budget presentations.
“This will help in ensuring early passage of the budget,” he explained.
The Executive Director, Centre for Social Justice, Mr Eze Onyekpere, expressed worries over the poor implementation of capital budget which currently stands at only 45 per cent while recurrent expenditure, which involves the payment of salaries for the nation’s workforce, has achieved 100 per cent implementation.
They also called for a closer monitoring of ministries, departments and agencies and the avoidance of unnecessary bottlenecks to ensure that Nigerians enjoy social infrastructure.
Year after year, budget worth trillions of Naira is presented to the National Assembly for passage into law.
But after the presentation of this budget, only a little impact is usually felt by Nigerians owing to its slow implementation.
This issue is what lawmakers sought to find out as the president is due to make presentation of the 2014 budget.
Budget implementation is an integral component of democracy and a basic prerequisite for good governance. This has not been so in Nigeria, as only 45 per cent of capital budget implementation has been achieved over the years.