2025 budget: Representatives insist on MTEF being submitted on time
In order to provide legislators enough time to work on the 2025 Appropriations Bill (when it is filed), the House of Representatives encouraged the Federal Government on Wednesday tosend the Medium Term Expenditure Framework to the National Assembly immediately.
This is because parliamentarians of all party affiliations voiced their disapproval of the practice of presenting annual budget plans to the parliament later than expected, which leaves themwith little time to perform well.
Following the acceptance of a motion of urgent public interest, which was introduced by Mr.Clement Jimbo, the member representing the Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, the House passed its resolution.
In order to garner support for the motion, Jimbo emphasised the necessity of pressing the executive branch to adhere to Section 11(I) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
He said that the law guarantees the long-term macro-economic stability of the national economy and allows for the prudent management of the country’s resources.
“The Federal Government must, not later than four months before the commencement of the next financial year, cause to be prepared and laid before the National Assembly an MTEF for the next three financial years,” the legislator said, citing Section 11(1)(b).
In particular, section 88(1) of FRA 2007 and Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which state that, subject to other provisions of the 1999 Constitution, “Each House of the National Assembly shall have the power, by passing resolutions, to direct, or cause to be directed,an investigation into any matter or thing to which it has power to make laws, and into the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, ministry of government department charged or intended to be charged with the duty of or responsibility for executing of administering laws enacted by the National Assembly and for disbursing or administering monies appropriated orto be appropriated by the National Assembly.”
He expressed concern about this.
He claims that the executive’s non-compliance with section 11(1)(b) of the FRA 2007 “technically takes away” the time the National Assembly needs to carry out its duties as outlined in section 88(2)(b).
Billy Osawaru (APC, Edo State) stated in his presentation that “One of the ways Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government shortchange Nigerians”is the timely late submission of annual budget proposals.
“If it takes four months to go through budget estimates, it should be four months.”
Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda also contributed and endorsed the motion, pointing out that lawmakers would find it challenging to examine the budget estimates in the best interests of Nigerians if they did not reach the house on time.
“This government takes pride in adhering to the January-December budget cycle,” he stated. This development is positive.
“We were essentially hurried to finish the estimates in the 2023 budget in order to keep up with the January–December cycle this cannot occur once more”.
The MTEF ought to have arrived by now. Bob Solomon, the representative for Rivers State’s Abua/Ahoada East Federal Constituency, praised the motion’s maker and asked his colleagues to back it.
This must never occur again.The MTEF ought to have arrived by now. Bob Solomon, the representative for Rivers State’s Abua/Ahoada East Federal Constituency, praised the motion’s maker and asked his colleagues to back it.
“We need the time to thoroughly support the budget until 2025. The most significant is the Appropriations Bill. Let’s not consider the appropriation bill going forward if it is sent to us without sufficient time,” he stated.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, who chaired the plenary session after the resolution was adopted, encouraged the Federal Government to immediately submit the 2025 Budget plan to the National Assembly in accordance with section 11(1)(b).
It also required the Committees on Finance, Appropriations, and National Planning and Economic Development to guarantee compliance in two weeks.
