By Ehi Ekhator
Constitutional lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has lambasted the Nigerian senate and the executive over its postponement in passing the 2017 budget six months after the year.
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According to the renowned legal activist and social justice crusader, the legislature and executive could not pass a simple budget, adding that the previous administration: Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan’s were culpable of what he described as “governance impunity”
The National Assembly had on Thursday morning, through its Majority Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan announced that the Assembly were still harmonizing the version of the report which was supposed to be presented today.
Expressing disaffection over the outcome, Ozekhome criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s government over what it seems to be a pattern in delaying the passage. The barrister stated that budget is either missing, padded our corrupted.
” Embarrassing shame that our government, both executive and legislature, cannot synergise and pass a simple budget,a mere annual ritual,six months into a new budgetary year.
“Past governments of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan have been extremely lousy and culpable in this disgraceful governance impunity.But the PMB government has raised this bar of impunity as even its own budgets have either been missing,grossly padded,or outrightly corrupted with opaqueness and lack of sincerity as regards priorities in this era of debilitating recession, when Nigerians are literally feeding from dust bins.
“Humongous, phony and funny allocations are mindlessly repeated yearly on mundane things as cutlerries, motor tyres, C-Caution signs,wheel spanners, rent in Aso Villa (NEVER knew there are landlords and tenants in government seat of power), fleet of convoy vehicles,etc.
“All these are put at billions of naira in the last two budgets, while the critical sectors of energy, roads, aviation, power, education, housing, health, water, infrastructure, youth employment and capacity building, gender empowerment, etc, are left to suffer.
“The question is, with the rains already here, when will the allocations in the expected budget be used for beleaguered Nigerians? Even during undemocratic and unrepresentative military regimes, we used to have 5 year Development Plans that were fully gazetted in our laws. Here we are today, unable to pass a simple annual budget for only one year!
It’s incredible how our leaders have really brought this country down to her kneels and prostrate on her belly.
“I feel so embarrassed having to discuss this kindergarten,very pedestrian and extremely mundane issue about passing an annual budget,a matter that ought ordinarily to be taken for granted.When,Where,how,why,did we get things so wrong? I am genuinely confused,worried and befuddled about the future of this otherwise great and prosperous nation. ”
Quoting the consitituon to buttress the implication of the delay, Ozekhome said “Under section 82 of the 1999 Constitution, Constitution,a lazy government may use, for the first six months before passage of a budget,a sum not exceeding the amount used for the same six months period in the previous budget for the preceding year.”
This means that after six months, and there is no budget, the government will be grounded if no new budget has been passed. Passing a budget is no rocket science or nuclear physics. It is one simple irreducible minimum of governance-to project ahead, expected income and envisaged expenditure.
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