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NASS Suggests New Budget Frameworks …As Senate Calls For State Of Emergency On Jobs
The National Assembly has identified 15 key reform strategies, including the adoption of a budget calendar which will begin with the submission of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) by the second week in July and end with the President signing the Appropriation Bill into law by the third week of December every year.
According to a statement from the Media Office of the Senate President, the strategies which also include provision of laws on development plans by the Federal Government are aimed at easy and timely preparation of the budget and its efficient implementation.
The measures contained in a report submitted to the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by the Senator Ali Ndume-led technical committee on reforming the budget process in Nigeria, proposed a budget calendar that will ensure that the President assents to the appropriations law by the third week of December while the MTEF is submitted in the second week of July as the first step in the budget process.
The report to be discussed at plenary by the Senate, also include amendments of the relevant sections of the Constitution and extant laws as well as enactment of new laws to improve the country’s budgetary process and align it with international best practices.
Other key recommendations in the report include the proposed provision of a legal backing for national development plans, and enactment of organic budget law to fix a realistic budget calendar.
According to the report, the broad strategies aimed at improving the budget process “revolve around reforming laws and frameworks for budget formulation, enactment, and implementation, aligning the budget process to international best practices, strengthening capacities, and institutions for budget formulation and implementation, and strengthening the revenue base for budget implementation.”
Some of the key reform strategies for budget preparation include, the alteration of Section 81(1) of the 1999 Constitution and amendment of Sections 11 and 14 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) to provide for a fixed and realistic budget calendar by which the President will present the budget to the National Assembly by the first week of September, considered and passed by 30th November and assented to by the President by the second week of December.
Others include the provision of legal backing for development plans to serve as basis for the annual budget and ensure continuity of development plans. In this regard, complete the legislative actions initiated for the enactment of laws: “Development Planning Act” and “Project Implementation and Continuity Act”, pending in NASS.
It also plans to amend Sections 13-18 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act to link MTEF with a development plan to trigger a long term (10-15 years) development plan to be implemented with three-year MTEF and Medium-term Sector Strategy (MTSS), and ensure the National Assembly buy-in with a resolution to ensure that the annual budget is linked to it.
The rest are to amend the FRA to enlarge the list of stakeholders to be consulted during the budget preparation process, and ensure pre-budget consultation between the legislature and the executive as well as between the executive and the public, while budget defense by the MDAs before the committees, should be witnessed by relevant stakeholders.
They also plan to enact an organic budget law that puts together all laws relating to the budget, including a fixed and realistic budget calendar and a pre-budget statement; alter Section 162 of the Constitution; recognize saving by the three tiers of government through the Federation Account and provide legal backing for excess revenue savings to enable the country save revenue windfalls and stabilize government expenditure during fiscal crisis.
Other issues include the development of a budget manual which shall embody the procedure for public participation in the budget process and public access to budget information during the budget preparation process; amendment of Section 19 of FRA to include project documents in the list of budget documentation; amend Part III of the FRA to provide for reporting standards and information sharing arrangements; and the provision of effective timelines for monthly and quarterly financial and non-financial reports, which must be uploaded on a dedicated website.
It is also to develop and publish criteria or methodology for determining the aggregate expenditure estimate and its allocation to sectors and line items, and expand the information content of the Budget Call Circular to include the modalities for public participation in the budget preparation process; while further developing the capacity of MDAs and other relevant stakeholders to effectively apply the zero-based budgeting technique or any other performance-based technique that may be adopted.
The committee also urged the National Assembly to strengthen the capacity of its committees in the area of budget scrutiny and appraisal by helping members and the staff to undergo training and enlightenment programme on the economy and budget appraisal.
Meanwhile, the Senate, yesterday, ýasked the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on employment to enable government address the challenges facing youth unemployment in the country.
Sponsor of the motion, Senator Duro Faseyi, representing Ekiti North Senatorial District maintained that the number of unemployed Nigerians rose from 24.4million in the first quarter to 26.06million, ýsaying the situation had worsened as some companies have closed shops due to recession.
“We are worried that the economic recession which has hit the country would multiply the level of unemployment in the country as more companies have started downsizing in order to cut costs”, Faseyi noted.
In his contribution, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, maintained that government cannot create job opportunities for everybody, while suggesting that government should create policies that empowers private sectors.
“Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, no government provides jobs for all citizens anywhere in the world, but what we should do is empower the private sector”, he said
Senate Rose Oko asked government to look towards agriculture which has capacity to absorb sizeable number of citizens which at the same provides availability of food at the same time.
In his prayers, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, asked the minister of labour and productivity, to provide blue print for employment as well as ensure the enlistment of Nigerians in security outfits.
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Rivers Capable Of Delivering Massive Votes For Tinubu, Chinda, Others -Fubara …Charges APC, Rainbow Coalition To Embrace Team Work
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the State is capable of delivering massive votes for President Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Kingsley Chinda and other candidates of the Rainbow Coalition in the 2027 general elections.
Fubara, who stated this yesterday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Port Harcourt, said the surest path to victory is for the members of the Presidential Campaign Council drawn from the APC and the Rainbow Coalition to embrace the spirit of teamwork.
He said what the state was witnessing in the current political season is a repeat of the successful mobilization done in 2022 and 2023, when a large campaign council worked in unity to deliver victory for him and for President Tinubu.
He added that the present council is bigger, wider and better coordinated and should therefore achieve even better results.
He noted that the beauty of the new council is the fact that some persons who were in the opposition camp during the previous elections are now part of the team, saying their inclusion has made the task easier, provided everyone works as one team and with sincerity of purpose.
The governor thanked the Coordinator of the Presidential Campaign Council for Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, and other leaders who worked tirelessly to bring the council to fruition, stressing that nothing is impossible especially when people work together for a common purpose.
He expressed optimism that with seriousness and commitment, the state would record a higher number of votes than it recorded in 2023.
Fubara, while congratulating members who made the list, appealed to those whose names were omitted not to be discouraged, as there are still sub-committees to be constituted and the list can still be updated, even as he warned against double loyalty.
He said the state has gone past the stage of division and is now looking to the future and what God holds for Rivers people, expressing confidence that with the strategy already put in place, the APC and the Rainbow Coalition would come out victorious in 2027.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Coordinator of the Campaign Council, Chief Nyesom Wike, while inaugurating the Council, lauded Fubara for finding time to attend the ceremony and other engagements of the Council in spite of his busy schedules.
Wike, who is also the National Leader of the PDP/ Rainbow Coalition, reminded members of the Council that they were chosen based on their capacity to participate in the activities of the group and deliver positive results.
He charged them to work hard to win votes for the candidates of the APC and the Rainbow Coalition for the Presidential, Governorship, National Assembly as well as State House of Assembly elections next year.
He disclosed that apart from the Presidential Campaign Council and its sub-committees, the Local Government Campaign Councils will soon be inaugurated to ensure better coverage of the grassroots during the current campaign season.
The Rivers State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has floated a culture content platform in collaboration with digital television group, Multichoice.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara, disclosed this after a meeting with MultiChoice Head of Content Acquisition, Don Dotun Ojon, in Port Harcourt.
He assured that content entrepreneurs and film makers would enjoy the platform by promoting culture and other contents to sell the states tourism potentials.
He said MultiChoice M-net was now open to increase its patronage for content shots on locations in Rivers State, describing the State as one that has numerous potentials for film tourism.
“We were privileged to have Don Ojon with us at the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) at the weekend in Bonny and he saw, first hand, the numerous sites and opportunities that are open to creatives in the State. After that, we felt it was important to deepen the conversation and he obliged. This is a cheering news for the sector in the State,” he said.
Ndigbara stated that “Rivers State has many more untold stories to tell, many more contents to reel out and the assurances from the M-net Acquisition Manager is an indication that the industry in the state will soon enjoy a new lease of life”.
The Permanent Secretary thanked Ojon for the visit and assured that creatives in the State would grap this opportunity and show the world that Rivers State is a major hub for film tourism in Nigeria.
On his part, Ojon said the visit was to discuss on ways of promoting tourism in the State using creatives and film.
Ojon said although the company has recently been acquired by canal+ France and is undergoing restructuring, he would promote the chances of Rivers State to host the MultiChoice talent factory in the State.
With Asaba, capital of Delta State, being saturated, Ojon said the next port is Rivers State, which he said is capable of building fresh crop of creatives, new locations, new story lines and concepts.
He, therefore, called for collaboration from stakeholders in the State.
Kevin Nengia
Barring last minute changes, the presidential campaign train of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will storm Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, tomorrow.
This is according to a campaign timetable released by the APC Campaign Council last month.
The Tide reports that the APC presidential campaign kicked off in Kaduna on October 24 with President Bola Tinubu in attendance.
The campaign train later moved to Cross River, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Ekiti on November 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima representing the President at the rallies.
President Tinubu is personally scheduled to attend 12 states including Rivers, Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo, Borno, Enugu, Bauchi, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, Adamawa and Lagos.
The Rivers State rally, scheduled to hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, is expected to witness a large crowd of party supporters drawn from a coalition of political parties in the State.
The party is expected to round off its presidential campaign in Lagos State on January 9, 2027.
The Tide reports that Tinubu has not visited Rivers State as President since he assumed office in May 2023. His last physical visit to the State was before his inauguration on Wednesday, May 3 – Thursday, May 4, 2023, when he was hosted by then Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt to commission the Rumuola/Rumuokwuta Flyover and the Magistrates’ Court Complex.
Tomorrow’s visit will be his first to the State since assuming office.
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