President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed worry over the insertion of 6,576 projects into the 2022 budget.
Speaking while signing the N17.13 trillion 2022 appropriation bill into law at an event attended by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and members of the Federal Executive Council, Buhari lamented how the lawmakers adjusted the budget.
- Lawan defends National Assembly as Buhari kicks over budget adjustment
- Buhari signs N17.127 trn 2022 budget
Buhari had submitted a proposal of N16.391 trillion to the national assembly but the lawmakers jerked up the budget.
The president said it was not just that the lawmakers made the insertions and “worrisome changes” to the budget, “most of the projects inserted relate to matters that are basically the responsibilities of State and Local Governments, and do not appear to have been properly conceptualized, designed and costed.”
He said it was surprising that despite the national assembly increasing projected revenue by N609.27 billion, the additional executive request of N186.53 billion for critical expenditure items could not be accommodated without increasing the deficit, while N550.59 billion from the projected incremental revenues was allocated at the discretion of national assembly.
“Provisions made for as many as 10,733 projects were reduced while 6,576 new projects were introduced into the budget by the National Assembly,” the president said.
‘‘It is in this regard that I must express my reservations about many of the changes that the National Assembly has made to the 2022 Executive Budget proposal.”
He announced that he would revert to the National Assembly with a request for amendment as soon as the Assembly resumes to ensure that critical ongoing projects cardinal to his government do not suffer a setback due to reduced funding.
He listed some of the “worrisome changes” as:
- Increase in projected FGN Independent Revenue by N400 billion, the justification for which is yet to be provided to the Executive:
- Reduction in the provision for Sinking Fund to Retire Maturing Bonds by N22 billion without any explanation;
- Reduction of the provisions for the Non-Regular Allowances of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Navy by N15 billion and N5 billion respectively.
- This is particularly worrisome because personnel cost provisions are based on agencies’ nominal roll and approved salaries/allowances;
- Furthermore, an increase of N21.72 billion in the Overhead budgets of some MDAs, while the sum of N1.96 billion was cut from the provision for some MDAs without apparent justification;
- Increase in the provision for Capital spending (excluding Capital share in Statutory Transfer) by a net amount of N575.63 billion, from N4.89 trillion to N5.47 trillion.
