Senate gives agencies one-week ultimatum to submit budgets

The senate has given a one-week ultimatum to government agencies to submit their budgets or “face necessary actions”.

The resolution of the senate was sequel to a motion sponsored by Ahmed Lawan, senate leader, on Wednesday.

Lawan said out of the over 60 agencies, only the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has submitted its budget.

The senate leader said President Muhammadu Buhari has done his duty by presenting the 2018 budget to the national assembly and it is left for the agencies to send details of theirs.

“Mr President my office has been working closely with the office of distinguished senator Ita Enang. We have insisted that the details of the budget must be presented to the senate so that it would be considered along side the 2018 budget and be passed as quickly as it can and together,” Lawan said.

“This is the The Nation of Wednesday February 7, 2018, in which the senator Ita Enang calling on all the 64 agencies they must submit their budgets to him for onward transmission to this senate. So far Mr President it is only one that has submitted.

“I want this senate to recognise that the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) presented and submitted what is required. I want this Senate to give an ultimatum of one week to all the agencies in which they will submit the details of the budget to our committees to consider the appropriation for 2018.”

Senate President Bukola Saraki said the upper legislative chamber’s cooperation with the agencies should not be taken for weakness.

“So, I think it’s very clear the mandate we give to them one week. It’s not that we don’t know what to do. Some of our cooperation should not be misread as weakness or not knowing what to do because definitely we can mandate the ministry of finance to ensure that they do not further other releases because they are breaking the law,” he said.

“We will give them one week and after that one week they don’t then we’ll take necessary actions to show that they need to comply with the law that guides them.”