• Observers accuse N’Assembly of abandoning critical oversight
• Say action displays insensitivity to plight of Nigerians
Some Nigerians, yesterday, faulted signing of the N2.176 trillion 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as ill-timed, even as they knocked the National Assembly for failing to scrutinise demands by the executive arm of government.
Deputy President of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Tommy Okon, said the government should have gauged the mood in the economy by focusing on the well-being of citizens and reducing waste.
“I expect Mr. President and the National Assembly to stand their ground and not allow it to happen. Just like the House of Assembly said, the money should go to student loan, which would have been the proper thing to do.
“When we look at how much was budgeted for student loan compared to what was budgeted for the presidential yacht, it is economic waste, especially at this time that the economy is bleeding. National Assembly members should be very sensitive to this,” he said.
An economic analyst, Prof. Jonathan Aremu, said: “This is not the time to pump too much money into the economy; otherwise, it will be counterproductive. Because the more naira you pump into the economy, the more pressure you put on the foreign exchange.”
He also urged the National Assembly to play its role by critically looking into bills sent by the executive. Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, said the National Assembly simply rubber-stamped the bill. According to him, this shows they do not fully understand their constitutional powers of appropriation, which involves scrutiny of executive proposals before they are passed.
He said: “A supplementary appropriation is supposed to be presented by the executive if, in the original appropriation, there is a need for more money to meet what had earlier been appropriated.
“But in this case, new items were introduced, some of them illegal. The vote for the office of the First Lady is illegal. That office is not recognised by the constitution or any law. Again, how do you explain the situation, where the supplementary budget is higher than the original amount appropriated for an item? For instance, in the original appropriation for cars in the villa, we have a little above N1 billion, but in the supplementary budget, you are asking for N5.8 billion,” he said.
A retired banker, Ande Mohammed, also faulted the National Assembly, saying: “This is not just a slap on the Nigerian people, but a show of lack of seriousness on the part of lawmakers. How can the executive get exactly the figures it sent to the Assembly? Why do they (lawmakers) exist? There is no difference between the executive and the legislature. They do the same work. They are partners. There are no areas of disagreement that will benefit the poor masses.”
Also, an investment banker, Tolulope Alayande, said: “Nigerians must be ready to occupy the National Assembly to prevent the two chambers from collapsing democracy. This democracy can crumble if the people who are supposed to check excesses of the executive partner the executive to terrorise Nigerians. Tough times are ahead.”
THEGUARDIAN
