Budget monitoring: How far can the National Assembly go?

COSMAS EKPUNOBI

Over the years , budgeting process is largely seen as the business of the executive and the legislature. In developed democracy however, budgeting is regarded as the most important fiscal policy tool that determines the quality of management of national resources.

The fiscal and monetary policy provisions in a budget largely explain the direction the federal government intend to go in the year.

Experts however believe that absence of inputs from other various stakeholders in the annual budget and lack of structured monitoring and evaluation mechanism has remained the bane of the annual estimate.

Attempts in the past by the National Assembly to rework the annual proposals as presented by the executive had pitched the lawmakers and the presidency.

Analysts however believe that such friction could be avoided if the executive would involve the lawmakers at the formulation of the annual estimate.

Expectations are however high that the new budgeting initiative of the National Assembly which is specifically designed to promote private sector participation in the appropriation process would produce more people oriented budget in 2009.

In a few days from now the National Assembly implementation committee on annual appropriation would commence a nationwide tour of the six geopolitical zones to evaluate the policy impact of the yearly budget.

The implementation committee is expected to verify the claims and counter claims by the lawmakers and the three tiers of government on the implementation of the various constituency projects across the country.

The committee which is made up of leadership of the appropriation committees of both chambers and other experts of fiscal policy is expected to hold consultation with the various stateholders while on tour of the six geopolitical zones

Outcome of the stakeholders’ forum is expected to further promote the emergence of an inclusive budgeting process within the polity, a new policy initiative introduced by the National Assembly to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the annual budget.

The committee which is currently working in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will at the consultative zonal tour explain the new policy initiative and why the various stakeholders should make it a success.

Though it is too early to predict how far the National Assembly will go in its new initiative, the committee has however said that its findings would help in addressing what it called systematic deficiencies that had plagued the nation over the years.

Chairman of the senate committee on appropriation Senator Iyiola Omisore at a news briefing on Tuesday explained that the introduction of the ‘inclusive budget monitoring and evaluation ‘ initiative was designed to deepen openness, and promote people-centred and development –oriented budget.

He said that the consultative tour ‘was part of the effort aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of its oversight function and a view to addressing phenomenon of rich a rich nation, poor people.

According to him the inclusive monitoring initiative was ‘ a prioritized intervention by the National Assembly to systematically address the deficiencies that exist in the budgeting process in the country ..

Again he noted that ongoing probes of government agencies by the National Assembly was in tandem with the new policy initiative.

According to him, the National Assembly will utilize the findings of the various probe panels to address what he called ‘some systematic deficiencies that had plagued the nation over the years

He however said that proposed inclusive initiative is expected to provide a level playing ground and opportunity for all the key stakeholders

‘The new initiative will be guided by the principle of purposeful partnership among the National Assembly, other public sector agencies at the three tiers of government , the organized labour , the media and faith based organizations’ . The monitoring team is expected to appraise the economic policy proposals on the development aspiration of the nation and their distributive effects on the citizenry

But one aspect that is likely to generate controversy is the committee’s mandate to verify some of the claims by the three tiers of government on the implementation of the constituency projects.

‘The team above all will examine the implementation of the appropriation Act.

The lawmakers have already approved the sum of N72billion for constituency projects this year with some of the senators on having direct control of the fund and deciding the location for the projects.

Each of the 36 states of the federation is expected to get N2billion from the constituency fund. Interestingly, the Enugu state caucus in the National Assembly said it would spend its own share of the fund on the rehabilitation of the ailing state air port.

But the Deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has however declared that senators would have no direct control of the fund but can only suggest the projects for their areas consultation with the people.

The fact finding tour of all government projects may have been informed by the claims and counter-claims by stakeholders on the constituency projects as provided for in the previous budgets.

Source alleged that some of the said projects only exist in papers even as some state governments are alleged to be laying claims over the projects.

The tour is to put things in proper perspective and take stock of such projects across the country.

But Senate yesterday declared that it would ensure that those indicted by any of its probe panel are prosecuted by the relevant security agencies,

Briefing journalists on the new initiatives, Senator Iyiola Omisore said that the monitoring team would be visiting the six geo-political zones to specifically verify the claims by the state, local and federal governments on the performance of projects for which public funds were voted for their implementation.

The team will also locate the projects for the legislators have selected their various constituencies and provide information on the location of other federal government projects.

Omisore explained that the inclusive monitoring team will evaluate the quarterly returns by government parastatals and government agencies on revenue and expenditure performance.

The committee has however appealed to the legislators, state and local government councils in the country to provide the relevant information on the location and performance of the said projects.

Meanwhile, the Senate has declared that it would go beyond the ongoing probe of some government agencies to ensuring that all those indicted by any of the probe panels are prosecuted by the federal government.

Senator Omisore who disclosed this at a workshop said "I want to assure all that the National Assembly is determined to widen the scope and intensify the pace of the ongoing probe of government agencies.