Where is the 2018 Budget?

President Buhari presented a budget of over #8bn to Nass in November 2017.

Following the commotion that trailed the passage of the 2017 budget by then Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, just over a year ago, many analysts expected the government to sit up and put is acts together to ensure a seemless budget for the 2018 fiscal year. And the early signs showed that indeed they had learned their lesson. In fact, Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, during one of the workshops organized to put modalities in place for the 2018 budget, promised to return Nigeria to the January-December budget cycle in no time.

So when President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2018 Budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria, tagged Budget of Consolidation, to a joint session of the National Assembly in November 2017, many Nigerians believed that truly a change is in the offing.

In his address, PMB promised to work hand in hand with the legislature to ensure a seemless passage of the appropriation bill. The leadership of the National Assembly, represented by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara, took turns to promise a speedy passage of the appropriation bill.

Some seven months from that day, and Nigerians are still wondering when the 2018 budget will be passed. Already the blame game is full gear. The National Assembly recently criticised the MDAs for delaying the passage of the budget due to their Ill-preparedness to attend scheduled meetings and provide relevant information needed by the lawmakers to carry out their job of scrutinising the proposals. They attributed the slow movement of the budget process to the indifferent attitude of the MDAs.

And as expected, the executive arm did not take this allegations likely. Ben Akabueze, Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, said in a statement recently, that media reports suggesting that the FGN 2018 budget was submitted to the National Assembly without details for some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were inaccurate. According to him, the claim by the legislature that MDAs were responsible for the delay in the passage was also not accurate. He went on to explain that all MDAs were fully cooperating with the relevant committees on the 2018 budget.

With the President making making clear his intentions to run in the 2019 election, it seems the governance aspect of the government has been thrown out of the window. Politics seems to have taken centre stage. Many Nigerians are worried. What will be the fate of the 2018 budget? If the budget is not passed, how will the government get the needed funds to implement its policies and programs? And if this administration fail to perform and deliver on her 2015 electoral promises, what achievement will they present to Nigerians as a basis for re-election come 2019? PMB must liase with the National Assembly to ensure that the budget document is quickly passed for effective implementation. This is imperative if our economy must continue to grow.