TheCable

Contrary to its promise on Wednesday, the national assembly on Thursday failed to lay the 2016 budget for commencement of consideration and passage.

The parliament had first reneged on its earlier promise to pass the appropriation bill on Thursday.

Abdullahi Sabi, senate spokesperson, had promised at a news conference on Wednesday that the appropriation committee would lay it for consideration. However, Thursday’s plenary of the senate was concluded without mention of the 2016 budget.

Briefing journalists after plenary, Sabi said the bill would be laid next week.

He said that the senate had not failed Nigerians “as the postponement was still within an acceptable error margin”.

“We are here to let you know that as of today, we are unable to lay the 2016 Appropriation Bill and thus, we are hoping next week that process will be completed,” he said.

“When I briefed you, I recalled you were asking if the passage will be completed by next week; and, we said ‘yes’ when you lay the budget the next thing is for you to discuss the budget and get it passed.

“The two activities will be carried out next week God willing. As far as we are concerned, we have not failed. What is happening is the seriousness with which we take the 2016 Appropriation.

“It’s such that we cannot also afford to make errors that will become very costly to this nation. We have finished all necessary work within the context of the various committees. But remember, when you do the paper work, you have to also get people who will sit down and check.

“That is what we call data cleansing and integration; that is the two appropriation committees must integrate, that is the essence of what you call harmonization.”

He added that the national assembly was trying not to do the work in a haste and also make mistakes, which was why the ‘data cleansing’ had to be done without haste.

“In everything you do, you must give freedom for degree of error. And, plus or minus, five is the basic standard that I’m aware of. Within this context, if next week we will be able to take this, then within that margin of error, the National Assembly is still on course.

“We call on Nigerians to understand that we are as eager as you to get this budget out but at the same time, we owe you a duty to ensure that the budget will be implementable.”

In his contribution, Abdulrazak Namdas, spokesperson of the house of representatives, said the budget was the most important bill so mistakes have to be avoided.

He also promised that the budget would be passed next week.