Bode Olagoke
The Committee on Politics and Governance at the ongoing National Conference has recommended September 30 of every year as deadline within which a president of Nigeria must lay the budget before the National Assembly.
The committee, co-chaired by Prof. Jerry Gana and Chief Olu Falae, said: “If the recommendation sails through the plenary, it will now become an impeachable offence for a sitting president not to present the annual budget to the National Assembly on or before September 30 of a given year.”
Gana, a former Minister of Information who briefed newsmen in Abuja, said the national budget cycle must be put in the Constitution, adding that the committee frowned upon the unnecessary delay in budget presentation and implementation by successive governments.
He said the committee also recommended for the unbundling of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in order to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in the country.
The committee also recommended the establishment of a special court for trial of corruption cases and strengthening of the nation’s anti-corruption agencies.
“We have made a very firm resolution of making sure that the budget cycle is put in the constitution,” he said. “What we are recommending is that the Constitution should say, latest by 30th September or earliest working day before September 30, the budget must be presented to the National Assembly.
“It would be an impeachable offence for anybody not to present the budget before September 30. Then the National Assembly has the rest of October, November or latest December 31, or the earliest working day before December 31, which the budget must be approved ready for implementation from January 1.”
Gana explained that the nation’s courts were currently too congested and that the special courts would make their special arrangements to run through the matters expeditiously and dispense with the issues.
He added: “We also took a series of decisions on corruption, and anti-corruption and the question of national ethics. We made a number of recommendations that if implemented will help Nigeria to be a corruption-free country.
“This includes recommendation on setting up a special court to try corruption cases. Because right now cases are left in the courts for a very long time and we think we should have specialised courts to deal with this very rapidly, also fairly and justly.”