In a tactical move against President Bola Tinubu, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed for second reading a Bill that will ensure timely presentation of the annual budget estimates to the National Assembly.
TheHintsNews reports that during the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, the January to December budget cycle was strictly adhered to throughout his tenure.
However, since Tinubu assumed office, the January to December budget cycle has not been adhered to. For instance, the 2025 budget was passed by the National Assembly in January.
To cure this anomaly, the House has passed for secondary reading.
The Bill titled, “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to ensure timely presentation of the annual budget estimates by the Executive to the Legislature; to Enhance Fiscal Transparency by ensuring timely submission of audited financial statements to the legislature; to classify public expenditure under defined heads with prescribed ratios; and to provide for Medium and Long-Term Planning for Infrastructure and Human Capital Development at Both the Federal and State Levels; and for Related Matters”
The Bill sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ben Kalu seeks to fundamentally strengthen the foundation of Nigeria’s fiscal governance.
The Bill also seeks to constitutionally reform the budgeting process, ensuring that the fiscal operations are timely, evidence-based, transparent, and directed towards genuine development outcomes.
Leading the debate on the Bill at the resumed plenary, Hon. Nkemkanma Kama decried the recurring challenges that plagued the Nigerian budgeting system.
According to him, From budgets being presented late and passed deep into the fiscal year, to Appropriation Acts that bear little resemblance to audited performance, to fragmented and non-transparent fiscal reporting at both the federal and state levels”.
Kama added that these inefficiencies not only undermine economic growth but also erode the public’s trust in the government’s ability to manage their resources responsibly.
To this end, he stressed that this Bill offers a structural remedy by embedding discipline, transparency, and long-term vision into the Constitution to guide the budget process at all levels of governance.
Kama stressed that the Bill which comprises four Clauses seeks to amend Sections 81 and 121 of the Constitution to – provide a constitutional basis for the “President to lay the budget estimates to a Joint session of the National Assembly not later than the last working day of September in each year’
The lawmaker recalled that the extant provisions of the Constitution allow the President to present budget estimates to each House of the National Assembly separately.
He explained that there is no provision mandating the President to present the budget to a Joint Session of the National Assembly asi t is currently done).