Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi (Niger North), in an interview with Punch talks about issues surrounding the 2017 Appropriation Bill and the National Assembly’s budget of N125 billion.

On the issues of budget padding the senator explained that people do not understand the process and would therefore complain. He said, “Whatever process that people do not understand properly, they are bound to have one or two issues with it. The needless controversy over budget padding last year was occasioned by, perhaps, some misconceptions and lack of understanding of the issues. I said it then and I will repeat it for the umpteenth time that within the context and confines of what a legislature is constitutionally empowered and mandated to do, there is nothing like budget padding. But then, I want to submit that the lessons learnt during that particular period have informed the modification and changes that both the executive and the legislature adopted for the 2017 budget.

“One of the things that was missing the last time was the lack of consultation and engagement. In this particular cycle of the 2017 budget, there were some engagements between the leadership of the National Assembly and the relevant authorities in the executive. I think that has helped to narrow the gap and remove the mutual suspicion that pervaded what transpired during the passage of the 2016 budget.”

When asked why the legislature increased its budget from N115 billion to N125 billion, the senator in a time of economic difficulties, he said, “How much was the country’s budget in 2016 and how much is it this year? What is the inflation rate? People need to understand this. Even when people are saying that we have jacked up the budget; in nominal terms, we did but when you look at the actual terms, the budget is still below the budget that the National Assembly had some years back. If you look at the value of the currency today, then you will know that what has happened is not meeting the requirements of what the economy dictates.

“If other people’s budgets have been increased, why should ours not be increased to face the reality that our economy brings to us? Are they saying that we are not entitled to carrying out our duties? Are they saying that we are not entitled to spending government funds in the course of carrying out our responsibilities?

“Simply because we have added N10bn to our budget, somebody is sitting somewhere crying blue murder. Like I told you, out of the N148bn (added to the budget), it means that over N130bn is going to various critical areas that, we, in our wisdom, thought national requirements that should be upgraded. Sometimes, it is a disservice and, in fact, I make bold to say that from what I have seen here, the National Assembly is actually underfunded.

People have been saying we are the highest paid legislature, which is a lie. Studies have been conducted by the National Institute for Legislative Studies and they show that we are not. In 2015 when we went for a climate change conference in Paris – we had the GLOBE, which is a platform for legislators in support of the climate change (campaign) – the senators from the United States who came had five professors/experts each on the subject matter. For that alone! From the research I have carried out, I am aware that they have very solid provisions for consultants on every subject matter.”

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram