Why budget presentation is delayed, by Presidency

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The Presidency explained yesterday why the presentation of the 2014 Budget proposals to the National Assembly is being delayed.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Dr. Reuben Abati said the delay was to ensure strong intra-governmental harmony between the Executive and the National Assembly.
The delay, he said, would also prevent unnecessary acrimony that usually trails budget passage.
He said: “Previous acrimonies were blamed on failure of intra-governmental relationship.
“The budget has been ready for over a week now, but since the two arms of the National Assembly are yet to harmonise their positions on the crude oil bench mark in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, and the Fiscal Strategy Paper, FSP, it was wise for Mr. President to wait until this is done.”
He said the Presidency would cause the budget to be laid before the National Assembly as soon as the harmonisation is concluded.


Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe, defending the President, said: “This disparity, if not harmonised, will grossly undermine the veracity of the projections in the 2014 budget as prepared by the Federal Government.
“The President, therefore, chose to allow the two chambers arrive at a harmonised figure after which the presentation of the 2014 budget will be done by the President such that the processing and approval by the National Assembly will not be unduly encumbered.
“We trust that this pragmatic approach will be appreciated and wholesomely well received by the distinguished senators and honourable members of the National Assembly”.
The President’s aide debunked insinuations in some quarters that the President boycotted the exercise for security reasons or that the government had anything to hide on the budget issue.
“We assert that this is not a boycott of the National Assembly or an attempt to create discord between the two arms of government. Rather, it is an effort to improve on procedural efficiency, conviviality and cooperation between the legislature and the executive in the overall interest of our nation, our citizens and good governance,” Okupe said.