By Augustine Osayande
Abuja — THE recent twists and turns around Nigeria’s 2016 budget proposals read like an excerpt taken, depending on one’s taste when it comes to genre one finds most captivating, from a suspense thriller to a comedy or tragedy from the famed Nollywood movie industry.
A tragedy is perhaps the most befitting considering this has been happening in what is Africa’s biggest economy that should be expending its energies in reviving an economy that is on a decline as a result of plummeting oil prices.
It all started like a prosaic story when news the 2016 budget proposal President Muhammadu Buhari presented to the Joint Session of the National Assembly on December 22 had been discreetly withdrawn for adjustment.
It was unimaginable.
When the Federal Government came out to deny the reports little did it know the country was going to witness one of the most unenviable moment in the history of budgeting.
Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, told the State House correspondents the budget proposal was going through the “normal procedure.”
“There was no plan to withdraw it for any reason,” she said.
“Ordinarily in budget processes, anywhere in the world, there can be amendments to the budgets arising from that interactive process, which is normal. The budget is not being withdrawn or replaced.”
Fears were allayed.
Expectations were high members of the National Assembly would pass the budget and forward it to the executive for implementation.
But the New Year ushered in a shocker.
As the legislators returned from their festive break on January 12, reports the budget had gone missing at the National Assembly welcomed them back.
The disappearance of the budget document was announced during a closed door session that lasted 90 minutes.
The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly’s spokesman, Aliyu Sabi, refuted the report.
Still, the Presidency again denied the withdrawal of the document.
“Nobody except the President can withdraw the budget. As far as we know, he hasn’t done that. The copies in their hundreds have been delivered to both chambers of the National Assembly,” Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Sheu, insisted.
Fears were again allayed.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, assured the budget would be made available to legislators on the 14th.
On the day, no sooner than copies of the document were made available than it emerged Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly, Ita Enang, printed and supplied a fake budget to the Senate.
Proceedings ground to a halt as Saraki insisted Senate will only accept the version the President presented in December.
Still, Senate Spokesman Senator Aliyu Sabi, insisted the budget was not missing.
Enang printed and supplied wrong copies of the budget to the Senate and the House of Representatives. A mix-up was the reason put forward.
Through the drama and comedy, as the whereabouts of the budget continue to be a source of mystery, the opposition is not miffed or thrilled.
The Peoples Democratic Party is demanding the impeachment of Buhari.
“The National Assembly should thoroughly investigate the shameful act, including the distortion and banding of figures to accommodate personal interest and ensure that appropriate sanctions is meted to whoever has a hand in the dubious action that has brought embarrassment to the legislative body,” said PDP National a Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
Buhari’s All Progressives Congress found the demands amusing, with its National Secretary, Mala Buni, rejecting the demands as “comical.”
“It is confusing and worrisome that the PDP calls for an investigation into the budget issue and at the same time calls for the removal and resignation of the aforementioned.
“Its new desperate plot to divert attention from the ongoing investigation into mind-boggling cases of corruption perpetuated under its defunct 16-year rule,” Buni retorted.
As the controversy continue, one thing is certain. The vocabulary of “missing” and “fake” budget will certainly be a reference point in the country’s economic and political landscapes.
Leave a Reply