The immediate past National Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, was in attendance during the Citizens’ Town Hall meeting on the 2024 budget and appropriation process’ organised by the 10th House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations. He speaks with KEHINDE AKINTOLA on key national issues after the meeting.
Looking at previous efforts you made to ensure reforms as Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations and what is obtainable currently, what will be your immediate assessment?
Just as I have spoken with the committee members, this effort that they are making is a social arrangement. It shows that budget process is not a secret document. It’s just for people to be enlightened in the budget processing and to make people believe they own the budget. So, that’s part of the reforms being made.
It is obvious that the country is challenged in some sectors of the economy, including power sector. So, as an expert on Public Private Partnership (PPP), how do you think Nigeria can leverage on this policy to address infrastructural deficit?
In the power sector, for instance, government, in the last one decade has started with the Distribution Companies and GENCOs. I think this can be further strengthened by bringing in external funding to ensure that there are enough funding. Power needs a lot of money and if external funding is brought and managed properly, we won’t have any problem about it at all.
We have seen challenges in terms of capacity of MDAs to implement the Appropriation Act fully over the years, how do you think the challenges of incapacity can be addressed?
I think what we are doing now is to kick-start the process. Today, we have achieved budget performance to a maximum level, so if they continue to monitor the projects effectively, it will benefit the citizenry, because people are already waiting. So if people are engaged fully, it will be easier for them to monitor the projects.
The rising fiscal deficit has been of concern to all stakeholders, what do you consider to be the way out?
The fiscal deficit of this year you heard in my speech, none of them has been from internal borrowings which will keep the economy intact at low inflation. I believe so much in international funding, multilateral funding, bilateral funding for the deficit and they are improving the tax net to ensure that it’s funded. So, basically the funding for this year’s budget is far, far less than what we experienced in the past which has been a major issue that within the economy there won’t be inflation.
So, how optimistic are you that this year’s budget will give Nigerians are a new lease of life?
We want to believe that things will improve ordinarily.
What is your reaction to the recurring allegation on budget padding?
My message this morning is going to address the crystal issue of blackmail that is always about National Assembly members. In the last couple of years, Nigerians have not been well-intimated about the budget process in the National Assembly. Section 80 of the 1999 Constitution states clearly that there will be a Consolidated Fund that all monies must go into that account. And that no expenditure must be made without an Act of the National Assembly. Section 81 states that the power of the fund resides in the National Assembly. When you hear people say padding, it is an embarrassing language. Nigerians like blackmail, but there is nothing like padding.
The Executive led by Mr. President under Section 81 will bring forth estimates. What we have now are estimates of the 2024 budget. The National Assembly will give the Nigerian public the budget for the federation. Over the years, there was the constancy of the Executive and the Judiciary during the military years. There was no National Assembly. Without NASS, there is no democracy in any country.
With due respect, most Nigerians don’t understand the budgeting process, and so they start making noise about budget padding. In the last few years, I heard on television stations things like, ‘is there budget padding this year?’ These are uninformed positions and Nigerians celebrate ignorance a lot. From today, let everyone be educated that there is nothing like padding in the Nigerian budgetary system. The power of appropriation resides in the National Assembly. What this means is that with the Senators and House of Representatives members, they are looking at the budget to see and ensure that it meets the needs of their constituencies.
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