THE former Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE), Mr Adekunle Makinde has berated the National Assembly (NASS) for delay in the passage of 2018 budget.

Makinde told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that three months was enough for NASS to work on the budget and transmit it to the President for approval.

The former chairman said that NASS should not deceive Nigerians that the absence of heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) was responsible for the delay in the passage.

“Nigerians can no longer be deceived again by our Members of Parliament, we know that they are not taking the passage with all seriousness.

“We are living witness to how the two chambers used to summon ministers, directors and permanent secretaries to defend themselves anytime they discovered unnecessary errors.

“Why is it now that they are not coming to defend the budget of their ministries?

“If NASS has given them a date to come and defend their budget, I am sure they will be present,’’ he said.

Makinde said that the delay in the passage of the budget had affected economic activities, adding that many companies and organisations were waiting for the passage before commencing with this year’s operations.

He urged the Executive and NASS to do the needful so that the budget would be passed on time, adding that Nigerians were tired of late passage of budget.

NAN reports that the Senate and House of Representatives have decided to pass the budget on April 24.

They said that the joint Committees on Appropriations would lay report on the budget in the two chambers on April 19.

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara had said this during Wednesday’s plenary in Abuja.

The N8.612 trillion budget has been pending in NASS since Nov. 7, 2017, when President Muhammadu Buhari presented the estimates to a joint session of the lawmakers.

The National Assembly and the Executive have engaged each other in a blame game in the past over delay in passing the budget.

The heads of MDAs said they had furnished the legislature with all the documents on the budget.

But the lawmakers said that ministers and heads of the agencies must appear before the relevant committees to defend their proposals before the budget would be passed. (NAN)

– Mar. 24, 2018 @ 4:05 GMT |