Jonathan under attack for budget presentation delay

Members of the Senate and House of Representatives  on Tuesday flayed President Goodluck Jonathan for calling off his scheduled presentation of the estimates of the 2014 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly.

They faulted the reason adduced by Jonathan, saying his action was capable of  delaying early passage of the budget.

 The President, who  also cancelled the presentation last week,  had in  a letter  to the leadership of the National Assembly,  stated  that the failure of the  Senate and the House  to harmonise their differences on the crude oil benchmark for  the   budget  was responsible for his latest action.

 The  Senate  had passed $76.5 per barrel as the benchmark while  the House approved  $79. Jonathan, in the financial estimates, proposed $74.

His letter reads in part, “Considering the fact that, whereas the distinguished Senate has approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework based on a benchmark of $76.5 per barrel, the honourable House of Representatives has used a benchmark of $79 per barrel. It is infeasible for me to present the budget in the absence of a harmonised position on the MTEF.

“In the circumstance, it has become necessary to defer the presentation of the 2014 Budget to a joint session of the National Assembly until such a time when both respected chambers would have harmonised their positions on the MTEF.

“It is my hope that this will be in the shortest possible time.”

But in the Senate where the   letter was read to the members by their President, David Mark, as an announcement, no comment was made on it on the floor. In the  House  however, a thunderous applause greeted the letter as Tambuwal completed reading it.

 “yes, correct”, “correct talk”, “let him not come, “we said so”, “that is right” and “he should stay away” were heard  from  members, who also  clapped and shook hands.

They argued that  the reason given by Jonathan was not tenable.

The PUNCH gathered that the mild drama was an expression of “victory” by the lawmakers, who had last week kicked against Jonathan’s visit.

Some  of the Senators , including  Senators Kabiru Marafa,  Mohammed Maccido,  Heineken Lopobiri and Kabiru Gaya,  argued  that the President should  have presented   the budget estimates since arrangements had been perfected  to receive him.

They   noted that the harmonisation of the  benchmark would  have still  been sorted out by both chambers of the National Assembly.

For instance,  Gaya  said, “He (Jonathan) gave a date earlier, so if   he was ready,  we would have received  him  without even passing the MTEF.

“The  President should have come  here today(Tuesday), present his budget and the  issue of benchmark can be discussed and agreed upon  during  further  deliberations on the budget.

“I don’t see any reason why the President should not be here to present his budget.

“I believe it is not our fault, the blame should be passed somewhere else.”

On his part, Marafa said the President erred in the first instance by taking it upon himself to peg the oil benchmark because it was purely the function  of the Legislature.

He said the fact that Nigeria was operating a bicameral legislature  that both chambers must agree on the benchmark before any reasonable debate could be carried out on the budget.

He added,  “We have to do away with  arm twisting and impunity because this is getting too much from the Executive.  Why should  they  peg the benchmark? You cannot  eat  your cake and have it. There is separation of powers in  the Nigerian constitution.”

It was however gathered by our correspondents that intelligence report received by Jonathan made him have a rethink on the budget presentation.

A source said  the President was informed that  he might be booed by lawmakers backing the New Peoples Democratic Party and their counterparts in the opposition political parties if he went ahead with the presentation.

 A source in  Abuja   said, “The Presidency was not comfortable with the disquiet in the House. Some members  are  still not prepared to receive him.

“There are New PDP members and opposition party members, especially in the APC, who have been holding a series of meetings.

“Anything could have happened if he insisted on coming today (Tuesday).

“Some  of the lawmakers would have  booed  or embarrassed  him.”

A member of the House, who recalled that Jonathan proposed $74 as the benchmark, said they did not want  him  to present the  financial estimates  for next year until issues concerning   the  2013  budget were resolved.

The lawmaker, who didn’t want his name in print, said, “If you recall, the President actually proposed $74. It was later that the Senate passed $76.5 with the plan to make the House buy into the idea. We vehemently opposed it.

“ For us, we did not want to receive the President until all the issues in this year’s budget are resolved.

“This was what we were saying last week; why rush to present the budget when contending issues, especially poor capital implementation, have not been resolved.”

The  Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila,  explained why the House would not accept $76.5 as the crude oil benchmark.

He argued that since the MTEF was a three-year rolling plan, the benchmark  for the 2014 budget should remain at $79, consistent with the 2013 budget.

He stated, “We must recall that the issue of benchmark perhaps generated the biggest controversy last year and $79 was eventually agreed to by both chambers of the National Assembly.

“The parameters  and assumptions for last year’s $79 have not changed with the price of oil maintained at over $100  per barrel.

“For us therefore, to suddenly change the benchmark from $79 to $74 or $76.50 as proposed by the Executive and the Senate respectively seems whimsical at best.”

The  Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, told journalists that the House would hold Jonathan by his word that benchmark was the reason he did not come to the National Assembly.

He  said, “In 2011, estimates were presented when we had not passed the  MTEF.

“It also happened last year. The Senate had not passed  the MTEF by the time the President presented the budget.

“So, it is not our fault that the President did not present the estimates; maybe there are other reasons which he did not tell us.”

Mohammed claimed that the House would still have received Jonathan, irrespective of the unresolved benchmark dispute.

“What is left for us as a House is to appoint a conference committee to meet with the Senate in a few days’ time to harmonise the differences.”

The House spokesman however  denied that the budget crisis was a spill-over of the crisis in  the PDP.

The  Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Mohammed Maccido,  said  the two chambers  would  deliberate on the  benchmark this week.

He said, “I believe that at the moment,  the issue will be tabled before an ad hoc committee that will sit within the next one week to iron this out.

“If we iron this out this week, Mr President would be able to present the budget by next week. God’s willing we will pass the budget this year. We have the rest of the year to do that.”

PUNCH NG