Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Hon. Femi Bamisile, has assured Nigerians of a workable budget that would be an unambiguous and a clear departure from the past for 2020 fiscal year in the country.
The federal lawmaker stated this in a statement made available to newsmen, in Ado-Ekiti, the Eliti State capital.
“Budget remains a vital document by which every income and expenditure of a government is based on in order to plan for the development of the society and especially the well-being of all the citizenry, hence, the need for the legislators to scrutinise every budget proposal from the executive arm properly for the benefit of the masses and nation as a whole”.
He maintained that the current federal legislators would do everything possible to give Nigerians “a better governance” that will alleviate their sufferings and nip in the bud the poverty level in the country.
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“There is no doubt that people are still passing through a lot of hardship now but the development will soon become a thing of the past.
“What we are witnessing in the country today are mostly as a result of improper planning, inadequate implementation or non-implementation of budgetary provisions in the past.”
Many budgets in the past had become unimplementable due to improper scrutiny of budget proposals by the legislators at either federal or state levels.
“Therefore, the current Federal lawmakers, especially with dominant APC members, the House will do everything possible to make the 2020 budget proposal a reference one by which subsequent budgets will be relied upon to develop the country.
“Nigeria needs nothing but a workable budgets to develop. And the present Federal Lawmakers will make necessary sacrifices to deliver on the mandate of giving Nigerians a better budget proposal through proper scrutiny and set a record that will serve as a benchmark for the needed transformation and development in the country”.
Some intrigues as a result of leadership crises that characterised the 8th National Assembly were unfortunate and a great impediment for quick passage of acceptance budget proposals for almost four years of the last regime.
“It is true that, there must be ‘check and balance’ between the Legislative and Executive arm of government, but playing politics with issue like budget proposals from the executive arm by the Legislative arm that is supposed to be a partner in progress is nothing but an aberration and taboo for any developing democracy.
“Every arm of government needs to collaborate at all times and also endure to make necessary sacrifices especially on issue that affects the whole country like budget whenever the need arose for the good of all especially the electorate.
“The move will no doubt accelerate the needed and desired development across the country and make life more bearable for the people especially the downtrodden in our society.
“For instance, the delay in budget passage in the recent past due to face off between the executive and legislative arms had affected many programmes and policies of the present APC-led Federal Government at the expense of the voters.
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“Therefore, the present Legislators will do everything possible to continue to think about the people who voted them first by focusing more on what could be their plights and how the Legislative arm could collaborate with executive arm to give people what they deserve to better their lots.
“The era of personal agenda above the welfares of generality of Nigerians is gone in the country. It should be masses first because this is the only way we can have a peaceful and egalitarian society”.
Hon. Bamisile, however, called on all Nigerians to continue to be patient with APC led government at all levels saying, the party policies and programmes are massess-oriented and assured the people that they would soon enjoy the benefits in fullness.
