The troubling question of the 2011 budget
It would appear that Nigerians are set for the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan, as I write this piece. A lot of expectations might be borne by manner, but not a few citizens of our great country have gotten used to the disillusionment that is certain to follow faith in our politicians as night follows day. While the political euphoria of inauguration hangs in the air, a very economic germane question remains very much unresolved thus far. We are heading into the middle of the fiscal year, but, wither the annual budget?
It borders on absurdity for the government of a country that claims it aims at becoming one of the twenty leading economies in the world in eight and a half years time to run its economy without a clear-cut budget for five months. It is a reflection of the absolute lack of a sense of planning on the part of our rulers, under any condition that, the appropriation bill, if at all passed by the 6th National Assembly, would have been done only during its twilight. This is however just a tip of the iceberg. The particular conditions that have led to this impasse reek of sleaze, aggrandisement and utter disdain for the citizenry. The National Assembly bears the bulk of blame for this shameful development. It green and red chambers have been anything but honourable or distinguished in the ways and manners they have carried themselves on the 2011 budget and related matters.
The executive arm of government had presented an appropriation bill of N4.226 trillion to the National Assembly. Being a petroleum-driven economy, this amount was largely expected to be funded with receipts from the sales of crude oil in the world market. $65 was projected as the benchmark price with the estimated sales of 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd). Our very wonderful legislators would have none of such nonsense. That amount was rather too little in their view, so they jacked it up by N747 billion, raising the tune of expenditure that the bill is supposed to make legal to N5 trillion. The legislators (I insist on recognising them as such, and not as legislooters, which some of my more sarcastic friends have taken to addressing them, because...even looting requires legislating!), were clever by half. Haven jacked up expenditure they had little choice but to adjust the pivot of expected expenditure, i.e. crude oil prices benchmark, upwards. At a benchmark projection of $75 per barrel, the increase in expenditure would have been taken care of, just like magic!
Interestingly, the legislators or “legislooters” –you could actually make your pick- were anything but altruistic in this inflation of the figures in the 2011 budget. They are such busy people that the executive had put aside a whooping N111 billion to cover their recurrent expenditure. But even that was not enough, since they are not just “big (wo)men”, but very, very big VIPs. This was raised to the meagre amount of N232 billion. If you thought that was all, you would be very wrong. The executive had proposed N1.16 trillion to cover capital expenditure, the National Assembly VIPs jacked this up to N1.7 trillion by including “constituency projects”.
The foregoing had led to a series of talks between the executive and leaders of the legislature. The Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga had described the budget as then re-prepared by the National Assembly as being “impracticable”. Talks seemed to be reaching some tentative conclusions which both sides could live with, even if Nigerians would only exist, suffering & smiling as has been their fate, while the economy is torn to smithereens by the greed of an infinitesimally few number of men and women. I am quite certain that within the two days before Jonathan is sworn-in as President on May 29, for the first time, the matter of the budget would have been resolved somehow or the other, but definitely not the question behind it which such “resolutions” would only underscore.
In the pathway of such on-going talks, it came to the fore that not less than N200 billion had been further loaded on the 2011 budget after the joint session of the House of Representatives & the Senate had harmonized it. This is not just immoral to say the least; it is a criminal breach of both the standing orders of National Assembly’s chambers and the laws of the land, for all what these are worth. To expect anybody to be prosecuted for this would be to wait for Godiot or “till thine kingdom come”. It is part of a pattern of supposedly honourable impunity, distinguished thievery and “jagudujeraism” that has been the hallmark of the National Assembly throughout this Republic.
In recent times, the case of the N2.3 billion naira car scam which Speaker Dimeji Bankole can still be remembered by well-meaning Nigerians, though his colleagues waved it aside. He also made them to wave forgive him for taking a N10 billion loan in the name of the house. This was despite the fact that the House was never aware of this, while it was included in its budget for 2011 passed last week, and only came to the attention of members when Honourable Dino Melaye blew the whistle. Similarly his misuse of N9 billion capital budgets of the House of Representatives for the 2008/2009 financial year was treated as a matter of little significance by his colleagues despite the seriousness of the matter. Of course we now know better that the “carry go” mentality of the house members is not because they hold Bankole in any high respect or that they love the way he dobales, with his chest to the ground, seeking favours. Members like Dino Melaye have made us realise that a lot of money change hands to keep the legislooters pacified.
The situation is no better with the Senate even though it is less gregarious members that could give us inkling into its mechanisms as much as with the house. But the song for Mark to return reflects the fact that he has kept the boys & girls happy. In any case, to the best of the knowledge of Nigerians, the Senate leaders no less than those of the House of Representatives are culpable of holding Nigerians in contempt. They have also shown with the disregard for the chambers’ members that even within their coteries of thievery, they do not trust the boys (& girls) as the bill would have thus been signed by Goodluck Jonathan before it came out that there is much more than six after seven.
It is unlikely that the much respect for Nigerians would ever come into the hearts of our legislators for any reason whatsoever. It is equally unlikely that anything but self interest & aggrandisement would ever be their guiding principle, contrary to their oaths to put Nigeria first. What they say is different from what they do. They are like the preacher who asks the congregation to “practice what I preach and not what I do”. But even if steal they must, they fail to realise that a poorly functioning economy leaves less to be stolen. Or perhaps since oil money is always there, it makes little or no difference to them whether or not other economic players can properly plan their economic activities.
The nagging question of budget 2011 is the utter disdain that a self-serving legislature has for both the people of Nigeria and the economic development of our country. Deals between the legislature and its soul-mate, the executive, might result in a scaled down budget being assented to. The trust of Nigerians would however not be won by this. One can also not but conclude that the Nigerian economy could do much better if the national assembly really was that of the people, by the people & for the people.
It borders on absurdity for the government of a country that claims it aims at becoming one of the twenty leading economies in the world in eight and a half years time to run its economy without a clear-cut budget for five months. It is a reflection of the absolute lack of a sense of planning on the part of our rulers, under any condition that, the appropriation bill, if at all passed by the 6th National Assembly, would have been done only during its twilight. This is however just a tip of the iceberg. The particular conditions that have led to this impasse reek of sleaze, aggrandisement and utter disdain for the citizenry. The National Assembly bears the bulk of blame for this shameful development. It green and red chambers have been anything but honourable or distinguished in the ways and manners they have carried themselves on the 2011 budget and related matters.
The executive arm of government had presented an appropriation bill of N4.226 trillion to the National Assembly. Being a petroleum-driven economy, this amount was largely expected to be funded with receipts from the sales of crude oil in the world market. $65 was projected as the benchmark price with the estimated sales of 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd). Our very wonderful legislators would have none of such nonsense. That amount was rather too little in their view, so they jacked it up by N747 billion, raising the tune of expenditure that the bill is supposed to make legal to N5 trillion. The legislators (I insist on recognising them as such, and not as legislooters, which some of my more sarcastic friends have taken to addressing them, because...even looting requires legislating!), were clever by half. Haven jacked up expenditure they had little choice but to adjust the pivot of expected expenditure, i.e. crude oil prices benchmark, upwards. At a benchmark projection of $75 per barrel, the increase in expenditure would have been taken care of, just like magic!
Interestingly, the legislators or “legislooters” –you could actually make your pick- were anything but altruistic in this inflation of the figures in the 2011 budget. They are such busy people that the executive had put aside a whooping N111 billion to cover their recurrent expenditure. But even that was not enough, since they are not just “big (wo)men”, but very, very big VIPs. This was raised to the meagre amount of N232 billion. If you thought that was all, you would be very wrong. The executive had proposed N1.16 trillion to cover capital expenditure, the National Assembly VIPs jacked this up to N1.7 trillion by including “constituency projects”.
The foregoing had led to a series of talks between the executive and leaders of the legislature. The Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga had described the budget as then re-prepared by the National Assembly as being “impracticable”. Talks seemed to be reaching some tentative conclusions which both sides could live with, even if Nigerians would only exist, suffering & smiling as has been their fate, while the economy is torn to smithereens by the greed of an infinitesimally few number of men and women. I am quite certain that within the two days before Jonathan is sworn-in as President on May 29, for the first time, the matter of the budget would have been resolved somehow or the other, but definitely not the question behind it which such “resolutions” would only underscore.
In the pathway of such on-going talks, it came to the fore that not less than N200 billion had been further loaded on the 2011 budget after the joint session of the House of Representatives & the Senate had harmonized it. This is not just immoral to say the least; it is a criminal breach of both the standing orders of National Assembly’s chambers and the laws of the land, for all what these are worth. To expect anybody to be prosecuted for this would be to wait for Godiot or “till thine kingdom come”. It is part of a pattern of supposedly honourable impunity, distinguished thievery and “jagudujeraism” that has been the hallmark of the National Assembly throughout this Republic.
In recent times, the case of the N2.3 billion naira car scam which Speaker Dimeji Bankole can still be remembered by well-meaning Nigerians, though his colleagues waved it aside. He also made them to wave forgive him for taking a N10 billion loan in the name of the house. This was despite the fact that the House was never aware of this, while it was included in its budget for 2011 passed last week, and only came to the attention of members when Honourable Dino Melaye blew the whistle. Similarly his misuse of N9 billion capital budgets of the House of Representatives for the 2008/2009 financial year was treated as a matter of little significance by his colleagues despite the seriousness of the matter. Of course we now know better that the “carry go” mentality of the house members is not because they hold Bankole in any high respect or that they love the way he dobales, with his chest to the ground, seeking favours. Members like Dino Melaye have made us realise that a lot of money change hands to keep the legislooters pacified.
The situation is no better with the Senate even though it is less gregarious members that could give us inkling into its mechanisms as much as with the house. But the song for Mark to return reflects the fact that he has kept the boys & girls happy. In any case, to the best of the knowledge of Nigerians, the Senate leaders no less than those of the House of Representatives are culpable of holding Nigerians in contempt. They have also shown with the disregard for the chambers’ members that even within their coteries of thievery, they do not trust the boys (& girls) as the bill would have thus been signed by Goodluck Jonathan before it came out that there is much more than six after seven.
It is unlikely that the much respect for Nigerians would ever come into the hearts of our legislators for any reason whatsoever. It is equally unlikely that anything but self interest & aggrandisement would ever be their guiding principle, contrary to their oaths to put Nigeria first. What they say is different from what they do. They are like the preacher who asks the congregation to “practice what I preach and not what I do”. But even if steal they must, they fail to realise that a poorly functioning economy leaves less to be stolen. Or perhaps since oil money is always there, it makes little or no difference to them whether or not other economic players can properly plan their economic activities.
The nagging question of budget 2011 is the utter disdain that a self-serving legislature has for both the people of Nigeria and the economic development of our country. Deals between the legislature and its soul-mate, the executive, might result in a scaled down budget being assented to. The trust of Nigerians would however not be won by this. One can also not but conclude that the Nigerian economy could do much better if the national assembly really was that of the people, by the people & for the people.
Comments