PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the 2022 Appropriation Bill and the 2021 Finance Bill worth N17.126 trillion.
He, however, expressed deep concern over the alterations made by the National Assembly amounting to N735.85 billion over the initial expenditure proposed by the executive.
He said he would send a supplementary budget to the lawmakers to right the wrongs.
The president assented to the bills at a ceremony in his office at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Friday.
The president explained that he signed the budget to enable its implementation from January 1, 2022.
However, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, maintained after the signing ceremony that the National Assembly was right in its judgment on what it did with the budget.
The bill provides for aggregate expenditures of N17.127 trillion, an increase of N735.85 billion over the initial Executive Proposal for a total expenditure of N16.391 trillion.
In his remark, the president explained that N186.53 billion of the increase, however, came from additional critical expenditures that he had authorised the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to forward to the National Assembly.
He recounted that during the presentation of the 2022 Appropriation Bill, he had stated that the 2022 fiscal year would be crucial in his administration’s efforts to complete and put to use critical agenda projects, as well as improve the general living conditions of Nigerians.
He said: “It is in this regard that I must express my reservations about many of the changes that the National Assembly has made to the 2022 Executive Budget proposal.
“Some of the worrisome changes are as follows: ‘‘Increase in projected FGN Independent Revenue by N400 billion, the justification for which is yet to be provided to the executive;
“Reduction in the provision for sinking fund to retire maturing bonds by N22 billion without any explanation;
“Reduction of the provisions for the non-regular allowances of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Navy by N15 billion and N5 billion respectively; “This is particularly worrisome because personnel cost provisions are based on agencies’ nominal roll and approved salaries/allowances;
“Furthermore, an increase of N21.72 billion in the overhead budgets of some MDAs, while the sum of N1.96 billion was cut from the provision for some MDAs without apparent justification;
“Increase in the provision for capital spending (excluding capital share in statutory transfer) by a net amount of N575.63 billion, from N4.89 trillion to N5.47 trillion.”
President Buhari also expressed concern in the reductions in provisions for some critical projects, including N12.6 billion in the Ministry of Transport’s budget for the ongoing rail modernisation projects; N25.8 billion from Power Sector Reform Programme under the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning; N14.5 billion from several projects of the Ministry of Agriculture, and introducing over 1,500 new projects into the budgets of the ministry and its agencies.
Furthermore, the president expressed reservations on the “inclusion of new provisions totalling N36.59 billion for National Assembly’s projects in the Service Wide Vote which negates the principles of separation of powers and financial autonomy of the legislative arm of government.”
He also observed that “most of the projects inserted relate to matters that are basically the responsibilities of state and local governments, and do not appear to have been properly conceptualised, designed and costed.”
He said “many more projects have been added to the budgets of some MDAs with no consideration for the institutional capacity to execute the additional projects and/ or for the incremental recurrent expenditure that may be required.’’
President Buhari declared that it was surprising that despite the National Assembly increasing projected revenue by N609.27 billion, the additional Executive request of N186.53 billion for critical expenditure items could not be accommodated without increasing the deficit, while the sum of N550.59 billion from the projected incremental revenues was allocated at the discretion of National Assembly.
He said: “I signed the 2022 Appropriation Bill into law to enable its implementation to commence on 1st January, 2022.
“However, I will revert to the National Assembly with a request for amendment and/ or virement as soon as the Assembly resumes to ensure that critical ongoing projects that are cardinal to this administration, and those nearing completion, do not suffer a setback due to reduced funding.’’
In putting the lawmakers on notice to revert to them, he said it would be to ensure that critical ongoing projects cardinal to the administration do not suffer a setback due to reduced funding.
But while fielding questions from newsmen on President Buhari’s reservation about the budget, the Senate President, Lawan, maintained that the lawmakers were right in their judgment.
While noting that the lawmakers did nothing wrong, he said the president and the legislature’s views might not necessarily be the same on issues.
He added: “I think the most important thing is, Mr President is happy with majority of what the National Assembly has done and that is the most critical thing that we need to focus on.
“As for the observations Mr President has raised, this is a natural and logical tendency between the executive and the legislature. Sometimes our views on certain issues may not be necessarily the same kind of views that the executive will have and hold on any particular matter.
“So, I don’t think what the president did by raising some observations as something that we should worry about.
“I am happy that the president signed the budget in the first place. And he said it’s going back to the National Assembly to seek for amendments or virement, and this is a natural, logical, legislative process. So, I’m happy that we have done our own part in our own way.
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