The Budget Isn’t Just Numbers But Policy Document Targeted At Holistic Welfare Of People – Senator Adeola Yayi

The Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations and Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon Adeola, has stated that the budget of Nigeria is not just numbers but policy document targeted at serving the interest and well-being of Nigerians in a holistic way.

Delivering a lecture on “The Role of Legislature in Shaping a Holistic Budget for Nigeria” over the weekend at the 2nd Annual Retreat of the Remo Traditional Council in Sagamu, Senator Adeola stated that since 1999 there has been many misconceptions about the role of the legislature in the budget process adding that such terms as budget “ padding, insertions and constituency projects” are derogatorily used to seemingly cast aspersions on the legislature for no just cause.

“There is a lot of misinformation and sometimes outright falsehood out there on the issue of budget in Nigeria. The legislature is often wrongly portrayed as the villain in our budgeting process. Accusations relating to the budget like “budget padding”, “insertions” and “constituency projects” are regularly thrown around in the media against the legislature, creating confusion and casting aspersions on parliamentarians among citizens” the Senator stated.

Senator Adeola, while taking about 40 traditional rulers of Remoland through the nitty gritty of the budget process in Nigeria, said the legal foundation of the National Assembly to the Budget is Sections 80 to 84 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria that give the National Assembly the sole power of appropriation over public fund adding that this power means that before any Kobo is spent from the national treasury, it must first be approved by the National Assembly.

“The legislature has the duty to ensure that no part of the country is neglected. And let us note that the needs of each areas of Nigeria in terms of development are multi-faceted and diverse. This is why each senator and member of the House of Representatives is expected to make inputs based on the needs of their constituents and constituencies for possible inclusion in the budget. If successful, this is not budget padding or insertions but using legislative power for the interest of the people” he stated.

Senator Adeola stated that what is regarded as budget “padding or insertion” and sold to the public as bad over the years are legislative interventions in the budgetary process without which some areas of this country will never have any “Federal presence” in terms of development adding that this is democracy, defined as government of the people and for the people in action.

The Senator said that constituency projects of an agreed sum of money for each legislator to be included in budget for each Federal constituency and Senatorial district and domiciled in various MDAs of the Executive for implementation are not padding or insertions adding that unlike what is presented to the public no single Kobo is given to any legislator for execution of constituency projects as the procurement and execution of the projects lies squarely with the MDAs.

Senator Adeola, who took a break from the 2-Day South West Zonal Constitution Amendment Public Hearing to deliver the lecture, promised to support the creation of constitutional role for traditional rulers in Nigeria as they play a critical role in good governance, peace building, security and community development.

Earlier in his remark while thanking the senator for illuminating his palace with solar street lights among other projects across the state, the Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, who presided over the lecture, said that the retreat was organized to broaden knowledge and solicit for more development for Remoland adding that Remoland deserves a Federal educational institution as well as non-marginalization in the proposed Ijebu State if eventually created.