With about two weeks to the end of 2024, lawmakers at the National Assembly may be made to walk on tight rope, if the 2025 budget estimates presented to them Wednesday by President Bola Tinubu, is to be considered and passed. TAIYE ODEWALE reports
Fluidity of time for budget presentation
The practice of Budget presentations to joint session of the National Assembly by the five different persons who had served as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from May 1999 to date, differs.
While the first former three presidents, namely Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Johnathan, did budget presentations to joint session of the National Assembly at different times from year 2000 to 2015, mostly in the month of December, President Muhammadu Buhari during his second term; on account of January to December budget implementation cycle, the 9th National Assembly pushed for, made his budget presentations in the month of October of the year preceding the one the budget was meant for.
In fact, for the 2023 budget estimates, Muhammadu Buhari, the then President, made presentation of it to a joint session of the National Assembly on October 7, 2022, just as he presented the one for 2022 on October 7, 2021.
January to December Budget implementation cycle
The early October budget presentations made to joint sessions of the National Assembly by ex-President Buhari from 2019 to 2022, were done for January to December budget implementation cycle which the 9th National Assembly under the leadership of Senator Ahmad Lawan as President of the Senate then and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House of Representatives counted as one of its achievements.
Patching up the practice
Though the 2024 budget was signed into law on the 1st of January this year but the process that led to that through hurried consideration and passage by the National Assembly on Saturday, 30th of December, 2023, could be described as a patched up one, for sustenance of January to December budget implementation cycle.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu made presentation of the 2024 budget estimates to the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 which gave both the Senate and the House of Representatives, just three weeks for consideration and passage.
Dilemma of walking the tight rope or jettisoning January to December implementation
With the announcement that President Tinubu will on Tuesday this week, present the N47.9trillion 2025 budgetary proposal to the Joint Session of the National Assembly, a scenario of making the federal lawmakers to walk on tight rope for hurried consideration and passage or outright jettisoning of the January to December implementation cycle, are emerging.
Critically, if laid down legislative procedures are to be followed, there is no time, with what is left of the year, for the federal lawmakers to consider the budget, particularly at committee levels let alone, passing it.
Tuesday (December 17, 2024) that President Tinubu will present the budget, is just a week to Christmas, which by usual practice, is supposed to be the week for consideration of the budget at committee levels.
After Christmas, which is next week Wednesday, only three work days remain in the year, which are Friday, 27th December, Monday, 30th December and Tuesday, 31st December, 2024.
NASS to decide on what to do
In separate telephone conversations with two out of the serving 107 Senators on Sunday, they declared that the scenario on ground as regards time for consideration and passage of the 2025 budget estimates presented by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, would be decided by the National Assembly.
The lawmakers who craved anonymity, said it was only the National Assembly comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives that could decide how to handle the 2025 Appropriation bill which is being made available this week.
According to one of the lawmakers, the time for hurried consideration is not even there now, as the year, will remain just two weeks to end, by the time the President presents the document.
“Even if the President makes available full details of the budget on that Tuesday for both the Senate and the House of Representatives to use for debate on general principles on Wednesday and Thursday or even by extension, Friday, the following week, that supposed to be for consideration at committee level, is Christmas and after Christmas, the week that follows, leads us all into 2025..
“I think the best way out , is to jettison this January to December budget implementation cycle for the 2025 fiscal year, for thorough scrutiny of proposals made.
“The jettisoning of January to December stuff, will afford the National Assembly, required time to look into the very important Bill very well and make the required inputs.
“As earlier stated, the issue on ground cannot be decided upon by just a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives but by the Senate and the House of Representatives “, he said.
Whatever decision, the National Assembly will take on consideration and possible passage of the 2025 budget, will definitely be unveiled on Wednesday by their presiding officers”, he said.
