Following consultations and an agreement between the Executive and the Legislature on the 2013 Appropriation Bill, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Tuesday signed the bill into law.
Announcing his assent to the bill, the president reassured the country that the consultations that delayed the assent have been in the best interest of the country, and in pursuit of understanding and mutual cooperation between both arms of government.
“As part of the understanding reached with its leadership, the observations of the executive arm of government about the Appropriation Bill as passed by the National Assembly will be further considered by the National Assembly through legislative action, to ensure effective and smooth implementation of the 2013 Appropriation Act in all aspects,” he added in a statement released by his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.
“The administration remains fully committed to the positive transformation of the country, and effective and efficient service delivery for the benefit of all citizens.
“All Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government have therefore been directed to work very hard to ensure that all the services, projects and programmes contained in the budget are successfully delivered on schedule in spite of the slight delay in its enactment.”
Just hours before Jonathan’s assent was announced, Senate President, David Mark, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and other principal officers held a closed-door meeting on the 2013 budget, emerging with the resolution to ensure its quick passage.
The Presidency initially raised such concerns as zero allocation to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), roll back of the capital component of the 2012 budget to April 2013 and quarterly briefing of the National Assembly by the Minister of Finance.
Tambuwal, at Tuesday’s plenary session, also briefed members of the House on efforts that were made at the meeting.
Zakari Mohammed, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, disclosed that the speaker led the leadership of the House including, the chairman of Committee on Appropriation.
“The executive session centered on President Goodluck Jonathan’s assent to the 2013 budget. We took a decision for the National Assembly and House of Representatives, particularly to meet with the leadership of the Senate and report tomorrow morning on the resolve of the meeting, of the National Assembly jointly taking a decision on the non-assent on the budget up till now by Mr. President.
“The meeting was also meant to find a way out of this logjam because by now we expected that Mr. President ought to have assented to it. Of course, he has his own reasons but we cannot continue to wait endlessly.
“That is the reason why Speaker called for the executive session to brief us on the series of meeting they have held with the executive arm led by Mr. President and his economic team.”
He explained that the House resolved that something must be done, such as meeting with the leadership of the Senate, agreeing on the next line of action, and announcing it on Wednesday.
“Up till now, we have not been able to agree and that is exactly the reason for the delay in signing. Of course, we don’t expect the budget to come into the House without being scrutinized like garbage in, garbage out.
“We have known the areas of concern of the Executive on the 2013 budget; those issues are clear and not self-patronizing. They are issues that are focused on the benefit to the common man on the street.”
He explained, too that the House had not received any letter from the Presidency for a review of the constituency projects, and that it has no knowledge of such letter from the Presidency on a downward review.
“Maybe it is on its way, but it has not yet reached the House. On PDP intervention, if up till now Mr. President has not signed the budget and if up till now that gave rise to the meeting we are having today and hoping for another tomorrow, then it is obvious that the party’s intervention was not heeded.
“The truth of the matter is that, though the party is critical in this matter as a stakeholder, we must remember that the House of Representatives is not made up of only PDP but several parties representing the collectivity of the Nigerian people. Moreover, it is a budget matter that cuts across party lines and affiliations.”
