Yar'Adua presents '10 budget by proxy, seperately
From Madu Onuorah, Alifa Daniel, John-Abba Ogbodo and Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja
IT took only a combined time of 22 minutes for a 10-year-old tradition of the National Assembly to give way. Amid laughter and backslapping, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, by proxy, at separate sessions of the two Houses, presented year 2010 budget.
Traditional presidential presentation of the budget to a joint session of the National Assembly was aborted over a seniority feud between the two chambers, a stalemate resolved dramatically when Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia on Monday for medical check-up.
The President's absence had elicited criticisms and fears but as far as the Senate is concerned, Yar'Adua is fit to run the country, and his going abroad for a scheduled medical appointment is no big deal.
In answer to a question from journalists yesterday on whether the Upper House would not sympathise with the President, Senate spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze, said: "We do not need to sympathise with anybody because even members of the Senate go for medical check up every now and then. During the holiday I went for medical check up and did all the test that I needed to do. So what is strange about going for medical check up, why should we engage our attention."
Prodded further, Eze added: "Unfortunately the constitution did not provide for you to stay in your house and estimate the health of the president. The health of the president is a constitutional issue and it is only a health board of enquiry that can determine the fitness or otherwise of the president, the composition of that board is very clear. And there is no indication for us whatsoever that the president is unable to discharge his responsibility. So far we do not have any evidence that the president cannot do his job so why should we pry into that."
In the budget estimates, about N0.5 trillion was set aside for debt servicing. About N2.011 trillion is for recurrent expenditure and N1.37 trillion for contribution to the Development Fund for capital expenditure in a N4.079 trillion total budget.
In the Senate, it took just five minutes for Yar'Adua's Special Adviser, Mohammed Abba Aji, to present the Appropriation Bill. But in the House of Representatives, it took 17 minutes because opposition members put up some resistance when it was observed that the adviser came in with an entourage that was not recognised in the motion allowing him to lay the bill.
However, after a new, re-phrased motion, and a futile attempt by opposition party Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, Aji, laid the bill, and stepped out of the House.
The document arrived even as the Senate yesterday joined the House of Representatives to pass the 2009 Supplementary Appropriation Bill.
A debate on the general principles of the 2010 budget would today herald the processing of the Appropriation Bill, which gave priority to Works and Housing sector with an allocation of N249. 43billion.
Senate spokesman and Chairman of its Committee on Information and Media Affairs, Ayogu Eze, who briefed journalists at the end of a closed-door session that preceded the presentation of the budget proposal, that the Appropriation Bill would receive thorough treatment.
He said: "The budget will be given a thorough treatment as I promised before. We are not going to stampede any committee. We will allow them to do their work well."
The budget proposal was pegged on a benchmark of $57 per barrel of crude oil and based on an exchange rate of N150 to $1.
The laying of the budget proposal before the Upper Legislative Chamber was full of drama.
First, senators locked themselves behind closed doors for one hour during which the Senate President, David Mark, provided details of why the budget could not be presented by the President and had to be sent through a presidential aid.
And shortly after the Senate returned to plenary, Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, moved that Order 17 of the Senate Standing Rule be invoked to allow the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Aji, enter the chamber and lay the budget document.
Having been allowed entry into the chamber, Aji bowed to the Senate President, laid the budget on the table, turned and bowed before senators and left with his entourage, smiling and waving at the senators.
The budget made provision for the sum of N180.28 billion as statutory transfers, N517.072 billion for debts servicing while N2.012 trillion is for government's recurrent expenditure and N1.37 trillion is for contribution to the Development Fund for capital expenditure.
The education sector was accorded second highest priority with an allocation of N249.086 billion.
The Ministry of Defence, comprising Army, Navy and Air Force is allocated N232.045 billion.
Other allocations include: Police: N216.451 billion; Health: N161.85 billion; Power: N156.79 billion; Agriculture and Water Resources: N148.716 billion; Transport: N146.74 billion and Niger Delta: N64.42 billion.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which would start preparations for the 2011 general elections as from next year has been allocated a total of N47.213 billion in the 2010 budget.
An outstanding feature of the budget proposal is the provision of N7.682 billion for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) got N2.24 billion.
The National Assembly was allocated a total of N127.7 billion out of which the House of Representatives will spend more than N22 billion on local and international travels. Senators on the other hand will spend about N6 billion for the same purpose.
The legislators however added another hefty allocation captured under the sub-head: "Programmed activities."
Under this sub-head, the Senate got an allocation of N9 billion while the House of Representatives was allocated the sum of N3.2 billion.
A breakdown of other allocations is as follows:
Senate: International travels and transport, N2.46 billion; Local Travels and Transport, N2.61 billion.
House of Representatives: International travels and transport, N4.74 billion; Local Travels and Transport, N18.07 billion.
Meanwhile, following the ruling of a Federal High Court that some House members could sue to ascertain whether both the Senate and the House are distinct but equal houses of the National Assembly by virtue of Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution, the Senate may be considering approaching the nation's highest court to determine which of the Houses is senior.
At least, three senators and a principal officer said yesterday that members were going to the Supreme Court to interpret the constitution.
"It is too serious a matter to be left to a high court; it is the duty of the Supreme Court to interpret the country's rule book. We are exploring that option and they will hear from us soon. We are discussing it, I can assure you," a senator, who preferred anonymity, said.
