President Muhammadu Buhari has given Friday, March 23, 2018, deadline to all agencies, corporations, and government-owned companies to submit details of their 2018 budget.
He directed MDAs to submit their estimates to the appropriate Committees of the National Assembly not later than March 23.
Boss Mustapha, the secretary to the Government of the Federation, conveyed the directives in a circular to all the agencies.
He urged supervising Ministers to ensure timely compliance with the content of the circular.
The SGF also ordered the agencies to comply with the provisions of the law and honour invitation to defend their estimates timeously.
” It has come to the attention of Government that a number of Agencies, Corporations, and Government owned Companies have not fully complied with the provisions of Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, FRA, 2007.
“Agencies are reminded that the FRA 2007 provides that consequent upon laying of a summary of budget estimates of Agencies listed in the schedule to FRA alongside the National Budget by Mr. President, it is required that details of such budgets be made available to the National Assembly for consideration and passage,” he said.
The Ministry of Budget and National Planning had clarified some media reports suggesting that the 2018 Budget was submitted to the National Assembly without details from some Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
The ministry made the clarification in a statement signed by Ben Akabueze, the Director-General of Budget Office of the Federation in Abuja.
Akabueze said that the attention of the Budget Office of the Federation had been drawn to media reports suggesting that the budget was submitted to the National Assembly without details from some MDAs.
He said that the office had also received enquiries along same lines from concerned members of the public, adding that it has become necessary to clarify the facts regarding this matter.
“Mr. President submitted the budget with all the usual details required by NASS to process the Budget.
“We would like to emphasise, for the avoidance of doubt, that on November 7, 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari, as constitutionally stipulated, laid before the NASS, the Executive budget proposals for 2018.
“It was laid before the NASS with all the usual details required by the house to process the budget.’’
The director-general said this included the details of the budgets of all federal MDAs based on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, GIFMIS, budget templates.
He said that Ministers and Heads of Agencies had made themselves available to explain and defend their Budgets.
“In the course of its review of the budget proposals the NASS normally invites the MDAs to appear before them to defend the President’s budget submissions.
“Given the seriousness, the Presidency attaches to getting the 2018 budget passed so it could earnestly focus on achieving the goals set out in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-20, ERGP, which formed the basis of the budget.
“It had directed heads of ministries and extra-ministerial agencies to attend to any requests for meetings/information by the National Assembly, NASS, with despatch.
“To the best of our knowledge, this directive has been complied with.’’
Akabueze said should any committees of NASS still experienced any issues with attendance of any MDA, the ministry had indicated that it would be available to liaise with the particular MDA.
He said that the ministry would be available to liaise with the particular MDA to ensure full cooperation with NASS by the relevant MDA.
“ Complaints about additional information with respect to the budgets of Government-Owned Agencies, GOEs, are being addressed.
“On a related issue, we would also like to point out, in response to concerns that have been raised by the public that the budget is distinct from the budget of Government-Owned Enterprises, GOEs.
“It is distinct from GOEs as such any delay in the GOEs providing additional details on their budgets should not affect the early passage of the main Budget.
