ABUJA— ANOTHER trouble is looming between the president and members of the House of Representatives over the non-implementation of the 2004 budget especially as it concerns releases to both arms of the National Assembly. Since the passage of the 2004 budget, members of the House of Representatives have been receiving only 80% of their allocations thereby affecting some of the programmes of the House. Members of the House of Representatives who spoke with Vanguard expressed bitterness at the refusal of the president to fully implement the budget. “We are in a very precarious situation.
Since the beginning of this year, the president has been releasing only 80% of our allocation. If we raise any voice now, Nigerians will say we are only concerned with our welfare. If we do not talk, the president will continue in this attitude.
The non-implementation of the Appropriation Act is an impeachable offence and we can no longer keep quiet”” a member told Vanguard yesterday. Vanguard gathered that some members have already made formal representation to the speaker on the matter and have urged him to take up the issue with the president. “If you observe, the speaker has been talking stridently about the funding of the legislative arm of government. It is principally because of the kind of pressure he is under from his colleagues.”
He can no longer keep quiet after several behind the scene moves to get the president to change failed a principal officer of the House told Vanguard yesterday. Chairman of the House of Representatives committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Abike Dabiri confirmed to Vanguard that since the beginning of the year, the House of Representatives has been receiving only part of its allocation. She said the house leadership was in contact with the president to ensure a change.
The chairman of the House of Representatives committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Usman Bugaje has consistently condemned the president for not fully implementing the budget. “The appropriation Act is a law of the land and the president is not at liberty to implement it partially. He must implement the Act of the National Assembly,” he said. Vanguard gathered that some members of the House are planning to meet the speaker on the matter when the House resumes from its recess next week. It will be recalled that when he presented the 2004 budget to the National Assembly last year, he promised that he would implement 80% of the budget when passed.
