Senate Promises Speedy Passage Of 2014 Budget

  

Senate President David Mark yesterday promised that the National Assembly will immediately commence consideration of the budget assuring that it will be passed as quickly as possible.

This is contained in the resumption speech of the Senate President after the Christmas and New Year recess.


The coordinating minister of the economy and the minister of finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala had presented the budget to the senators on December 17 last year.

According to Mark “ In line with the imperatives of collaborative governance and fiscal responsibility, we will immediately commence the consideration of the budget estimates in a most robust and meticulous manner.

“And inspite of the estimates not arriving as early as we had expected, we will work to see that the 2014 Appropriation bill is passed as quickly as possible.”

The Senate President also revealed that the Upper House has the power to make inputs in the budget estimates and should not be interpreted as a distortion of the budget by the executive.

Mark said, “In our evolving democratic practice, the point is now settled that parliament has the power to make inputs when considering Budget estimates.

“However, in exercising this constitutional power, every parliamentarian must bear in mind that an annual budget sets out an administration’s economic and social vision, and the fiscal means of attaining it. Parliamentary inputs should therefore reinforce and complement that vision. The executive arm should never and must not interpret this to mean a distortion of the budget.”

Mark also promised that once the budget is passed, the Senate will activate the weapons of oversight to drive for full implementation of the budget and to insist on accountability, probity and transparency in the implementation.

“Once the 2014 budget is passed and signed into law, we will swiftly activate the weapon of oversight to drive for full implementation, and to insist on accountability, probity and transparency.

“We will not wring our hands in apathy and bemoan the lethargic implementation of the budget amid infrastructural decay and economic dysfunction,” he said.

We will certainly work to ensure that the developmental goals underpinning the budget are fully realised.” he concluded.
Abiola Alaba Peters