Constitutional Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome has decried the non-passage of the 2017 budget six months after it was submitted to the National Assembly saying the action smacks of the greatest display of acts of impunity by the executive and the legislature against the welfare of Nigerians.
He said the impunity by the current federal government regarding the passage of the 2017 budget has even surpassed anything even near the period of military regimes because during dictatorship, they at least had 5 years development plans to keep the economy functional.
Speaking on the legal implications of not passing the budget within the constitutionally permitted six months period, Ozekhome said though past governments of Obasanjo, Yar’adua and Jonathan were guilty of this anomaly, the Buhari administration has simply raised the bar of the impunity even as its own budget have been either missing, grossly padded or out-rightly corrupted.
He said, “Under section 82 of the 1999 Constitution, a lazy government may use, for the first six months before passage of a budget, a sum not exceeding the amount used for the same six months period in the previous budget for the preceding year.
“This means that if after six months, and there is no budget, the government will be grounded if no new budget has been passed.
“Passing a budget is no rocket science or nuclear physics. It is one simple irreducible minimum of governance-to project ahead, expected income and envisaged expenditure.
“It’s a an embarrassing shame that our government, both executive and legislature, cannot synergize and pass a simple budget, a mere annual ritual, six months into a new budgetary year.
“Past governments of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan have been extremely lousy and culpable in this disgraceful governance impunity.
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“But the PMB government has raised this bar of impunity as even its own budgets have either been missing, grossly padded, or out-rightly corrupted with opaqueness and lack of sincerity as regards priorities in this era of debilitating recession, when Nigerians are literally feeding from dust bins.
“Humongous, phony and funny allocations are mindlessly repeated yearly on mundane things as cutleries, motor tyres; C-Caution signs, wheel spanners, rent in Aso Villa (NEVER knew there are landlords and tenants in government seat of power), fleet of convoy vehicles, etc.
“All these are put at billions of naira in the last two budgets, while the critical sectors of energy, roads, aviation, power, education, housing, health, water, infrastructure, youth employment and capacity building, gender empowerment, etc, are left to suffer.
“The question is, with the rains already here, when will the allocations in the expected budget be used for beleaguered Nigerians?
“Even during undemocratic and unrepresentative military regimes, we used to have 5 year Development Plans that were fully gazzetted in our laws.
“Here we are today, unable to pass a simple annual budget for only one year!
“It is incredible how our leaders have really brought this country down to her kneels and prostrate on her belly.
“I feel so embarrassed having to discuss this kindergarten, very pedestrian and extremely mundane issue about passing an annual budget, a matter that ought ordinarily to be taken for granted.
“When, Where, how, why, did we get things so wrong? I am genuinely confused, worried and befuddled about the future of this otherwise great and prosperous nation.”
Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, FCIArb.
Constitutional Lawyer and Human Rights Activist.
