There are strong indications that the passage of the 2022 budget may suffer a major setback as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Security Printing and Minting and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), failed to present their budget proposals to the National Assembly.
Some of the aggrieved lawmakers who spoke during Wednesday plenary after the motion on self-explanation raised by Hon Fatau Mohammed frowned at the high-handedness of the accounting officers of the affected Institutions.
The Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, had penultimate week directed all the Standing Committees to defend the budgets of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the bid to fast track the passage of the 2022 budget.
While addressing the House, Hon Mohammed (APC-Katsina), disclosed that management of Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting as well as Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) failed to appear for 2022 budget defence.
He said Order 20, Rule 18(1 & 2) provides that there shall be a committee known as Committee on Banking and Currency which was empowered to oversight the CBN, Banks, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, AMCON and evaluate their annual budget.
He, however, noted that: “it will interest the House to know that none of the above agencies have been over sighted in the past two years and they have failed to make their 2022 budget available to the committee. How long shall we allow these illegalities to continue?”
While expressing displeasure over the development, Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Toby Okechukwu, accused the affected agencies of breaching the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He maintained that the onus is on the House to ensure compliance with extant laws, adding that all the MDAs are under obligation to appear before the House Committee on Appropriations to defend their respective budgets.
”This is a breach of the law of which this House should make a finding and place it properly the culpability of these agencies. It would be proper for this to come in a way of a motion for an investigation,’’ he noted.
While ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Idris Wase, who presided over the plenary, assured that the House leadership would engage the Committee with a view to resolving the matter so that the committee can exercise its functions.
As a presiding officer, the Deputy Speaker denied knowledge of the refusal of the MDAs to appear before the respective Committees.
(Nigerian Tribune)
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