“But we rejected that excuse in line with Sections 80 and 81 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to appropriate every single kobo for the executive before spending.”
It expressed disappointment on the failure of the Presidency to include a N186 billion health allocation in the entire budget. It therefore stepped down further consideration of the budget bill, insisting that the right thing must be done.
Barau stunned the Senate when he informed his colleagues that the Presidency refused to capture the N186 billion health vote as part of the entire N500 billion intervention fund for COVID-19 in the appropriation bill. “But we rejected that excuse in line with Sections 80 and 81 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to appropriate every single kobo for the executive before spending. On the strength of our superior argument, the budget office admitted the omission but promised to write a letter to us, to be used as evidence of helping them to include it. But the expected letter never came till now, making us not to be ready for presentation of any report.
We have to insist on this because when we simply put figures without the document supporting the inclusion, somebody will say we are padding the budget. The National Assembly will be castigated and in some cases even insulted.” According to the groups, the budgetary allocation to these sectors should not be reduced. They noted that 26 per cent of the country’s yearly budget should go to education, stressing that no nation can survive without adequate funding of its education and health sectors.
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