Budget impasse, executive excesses: National Assembly to blame

It is at a time like this that fans of late Afro beat maestro and social critic Fela Anikulapo Kuti must be lamenting his demise on August 2nd, 1997. Indeed it is interesting to speculate on how he would have reacted to the present state of the nation, given the unending medley of twists and […]

It is at a time like this that fans of late Afro beat maestro and social critic Fela Anikulapo Kuti must be lamenting his demise on August 2nd, 1997. Indeed it is interesting to speculate on how he would have reacted to the present state of the nation, given the unending medley of twists and turns which daily living has turned out to be for most country men and women. Yet an informed guess will be considered correct if it sees him defining the present mood of the country as “suffering and smiling”; a flash back to one of his classic musical works of the 1980s, which parodied life in Nigeria with uncanny, graphic accuracy.
It is no more news that the 2016 budget is coming out late – very late, just like its predecessors; at least since the return of the country to civil rule in 1999.The year is already at the tail end of April, the fourth month and the budget whose statutory life span runs from January 1st to December 31st 2016, is not yet out.The implication is that the budget will remain compromised on arrival, with grave implications for businesses and sundry investments both in the public and private sectors. The hope now is that it should not also end up as a non-performing budget also like the previous ones, at least since 1999. It is on record that none of these recorded an implementation level of more than 30%. And even at that the figure is usually the amount of money disbursed, and not the quantum of service delivered.
It is not that Nigerians, who as the late frontline journalist Dele Giwa once said have been pushed ‘beyond shockability’ by the serial failure of successive leaderships, see budget delay or even non implementation as a big issue. To many Nigerians it is the usual way of doing things in the country. In fact as evidence bears out, past budgets at every tier of governance have proven to be mere academic exercises in fulfilling statutory procedures associated with disbursement of public finance. Little wonder that budget provisions in the country hardly impact on the life of Nigerians, but remain hollow promises.
As things stand, the 2016 budget is facing a delay that many did not anticipate, given the gusto with which the administration came on board.  And the reasons for the delay are as varied as they span the divide between the valid and the mundane. For instance firstly was the drama over a budget padding scandal, which the erudite Mahmud Jega rightfully treated in his column in the ‘Daily Trust’ last Monday as the ‘pork barrel’ syndrome. Later came other issues including the latest, testy stand of the President that he will not sign the already passed national budget until he screens the details to his satisfaction. 
Seen in proper context, many Nigerians would have wished that President Buhari did not identify himself with such a position which in the eye of the constitution and reality remains unfortunate. While the position gained attention largely because he advocated it in far away United States of America during his recent tour to that country, the truth is that President Buhari is not in a position to personally vet the details of a budget document that is over a thousand pages long. Where would he have the time off his official schedule of meetings with his cabinet members, foreign dignitaries and other important personalities, not to talk of his frequent trips abroad for international engagements?
Hence whatever opinion he forms about the budget remains what his aides feed him with. In the same vein his stand on vetting the budget details before assenting can also easily be seen as sponsored by such aides for reasons that may not be altruistic. If the English proverb which says that every ‘dog is a lion at his master gate’ is considered then the President may unwittingly be protecting interests that may be capitalizing on the ‘magic’ of his name to feather their private nests.
 Meanwhile, even as the budget drama lasts and Nigerians wallow in privation, the fact seems to be lost on the Presidency that the situation is only what it is just because the National Assembly has not acted in exercise of its powers. It is the legislature that should screen and supervise the executive arm and not the other way round. The constitution grants sweeping powers to the legislature with which to act in ensuring good governance. These powers include control of the nation’s purse, and determining who serves in the government. Against such liberties, the legislature cannot be excused for allowing untoward developments in the country, including inchoate fortunes for the budget as is ongoing now. At least it has the power to act in the interest of the public by overriding the presidential assent if it does not come within reasonable time.
The legislature is not intended to be an advisory body, but an organ that serves as the melting pot of the  varying shades of interests in the country, pursuant to developing action plans for the executive arm to carry out. If it loses its voice, the country loses its voice. And with the state of affairs in the country many Nigerians are asking if the legislature still has its voice intact.
Questions over the slacking in the role of the legislature are not confined to budgetary matters. Even in many other areas of national life where agents of the executive arm demonstrate excesses in exercise of their powers and the legislature is expected to rise to the occasion, the institution has often failed. For instance, the country is witnessing perhaps the longest lasting fuel crisis now in its third month, and not a few Nigerians would have wished some more affirmative action from the legislature.
Just as well, now that the country is facing indeterminate prospects for the 2016 budget, questions are being raised over the role of the legislature in leading the way forward as it should be doing at all times.
For instance, if the President Muhamadu Buhari refuses to grant assent to the budget bill can the National Assembly find the muscle to veto it even when such is in the national interest?