The National Assembly yesterday raised concern about the
implementation of the N500 billion special intervention
fund, a cardinal programme of the Buhari administration.

The lawmakers were categorical that though the plan by
the Federal Government to spend N500 billion on
vulnerable Nigerians is laudable, its implementation will
pose problems.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator
Mohammed Danjuma Goje, who raised the issue
suggested the suspension of the plan in this year’s budget.
Goje spoke at a joint session of the Senate and House of
Representatives Committee on Appropriation meeting with
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma
Udo Udoma, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun and top
officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Goje noted that the meeting became necessary because
members of the National Assembly had given March 17th
deadline to pass the budget.

He said that Udo-Udoma, Adeosun and others were invited to
get their final input before the budget is passed.

He also said the lawmakers want to pass an implementable
budget.

He said the N500 billion special intervention fund’s
implementation is not clearly stated in the budget.
Goje, an APC senator from Gombe and a former governor
of the state on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform,
said how would the beneficiaries of the programme be
selected.

He added that there was no doubt that it would turn into a
political jamboree for political office holders.

Goje who noted that market women were listed as part of
those who would benefit from the fund wondered how
market women would be selected.

He said that in his home state of Gombe, there are no
market women but market men.

The lawmaker also declared the school feeding initiative
planned by the government as un-implementable.
Insisting that school feeding programme is largely
unsustainable. He wondered how billions of naira would
be spent on feeding pupils when most of them study under
trees due to lack of class rooms.

The government, he said, should take a second look at the
programmes, fine tune them and leave the
implementation for the 2017 fiscal year.

But Udo- Udoma said the programmes were political
promises that should be implemented in the interest of the
people.

The minister added that he would take back the concerns
raised by the lawmakers to the government.

He said the programmes were commitments that must be
done.

On recovered funds, Udoma said only established
recovered funds could be put in the budget.

He denied knowledge of a circular directing MDAs to
implement only the budget as presented by President
Muhammadu Buhari saying “I don’t think that the National
Assembly will give us back the budget the way it came.”
Udo-Udoma also insisted that the template of the 2016
budget is zero budgeting.

He added however that “zero budgeting does not mean
that we don’t have a limit.”

The minister admitted that the implementation of the
budget would be difficult especially with falling oil price in
the international market.

He noted that though the price of oil is dwindling, the cost
of production remained the same, describing the
development as a major challenge.

Udoma told the lawmakers not to increase the size of the
budget in order not to make its implementation more
difficult.

On the sources of funding the budget, he said the
government planned to borrow N1.8 trillion half of which
would be foreign loan.

He said the government was now being forced to look
inward to raise funds to implement the budget.

The minister said the government is expecting more
revenue from non oil sector of the economy including
broadening the tax base.

On oil benchmark of $38 pb, he said that benchmark will
still be retained despite falling oil price.
The benchmark, he said, was arrived at after wide
consultation.

He said that the personnel cost component of the budget is
another major challenge for the government.

He noted that though government does not plan to
retrench workers, “Government is trying to use technology
to ensure that salaries actually go to people who are
working.

Mrs Adeosun spoke on how to fund the budget.

The minister told the lawmakers that independently-
generated revenue would largely be used to fund the
budget.

She noted that cost-saving would be another means to
fund the budget.

The lawmakers also drew Udo-Udoma’s attention to the
concern of some Civil Society Organisations of about N668
billion frivolous provisions in the budget.

Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/national-assembly-to-buhari-drop-n500b-intervention-fund-from-budget-2016/

Cc: Lalasticlala

mmnnnn, the only thing they can drop is anything for the masses, what about dropping exotic cars in your convoy? smh

Useless budget of fraud.