FROM:JOE EFFIONG, UYO
Nigeria’s economic morass has partially been attributed to the incremental budget system being operated in the country.
The Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Prof Abubakar O. Sulaiman who said this in his remarks at the ongoing Capacity Building Workshop for members of Rivers and Abia State Houses of Assembly at Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, explained that the only reason for the continuous use of that budget system appears to be its simplicity rather than usefulness.,
“Overall, the system is inefficient, relies on the same parameters year after year, does not account for changing circumstances, lacks expertise, is inflexible and its performance is equally difficult to measure.
“In view of the above, the legislature in Nigeria, both at the national and state level must lead the call for reform and modernisation of the budget system in Nigeria.
“The present system is no longer tenable and can only result in more waste and corruption. In many parts of the world, the legislature has, in the last two decades, taken measures to reform the budget process through the introduction of legislations to modernise public financial management, ensure fiscal policy discipline and increase transparency and access to information.
“Secondly, governments have strengthened their institutional arrangements for managing the budget process, such as the appropriation, monitoring, evaluation, and auditing of government finances” Sulaiman said.
He challenged the state houses of assembly to build resilient and functional institutions, else the expected financial autonomy which the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has finally agreed to begin implementation for state legislative and judiciary institutions in May 2021 would not entrench good governance.
The head of Konrad Adenauer Stifung (KAS), a German foundation sponsoring the workshop,Dr Vladimir Kreck, KAS is working towards strengthening democratic governance around the world and has been in Nigeria since 2001, focusing more building capacities in the state houses of assembly.
According, the foundation has partnered a total of 13 statehouses if assembly mostly in the South to develop capacities, and that the effect of such partnership has shown in the manner the assemblies are not now conducting legislative businesses.
” The partnership is perpetual. We don’t intend to pull out any time soon. One thing you observe in Nigeria is after the election, some states’ assemblies turn over 90 percent of new members. It means that after every four years , we need to start from the scratch again to training members of the legislature.
The representative of Rivers State House.if Assembly, Mr Sam.Ogeh thanked both NILDS and KAS for providing the opportunity for their members to update their legislative knowledge yearly