The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, has recently declared that the National Assembly (NASS) did not violate any laws by increasing the 2024 budget.
This statement comes amidst allegations of budget padding made by suspended Bauchi Central lawmaker Abdul Ningi, who claimed that the sum of N3.7 trillion in the budget was not tied to any project.
Since 1999, it has been customary for the National Assembly to include new line items in the appropriation bill to fund specific projects in their constituencies.
This practice often results in an increase in the approved budget from what was initially presented by the president.
Senator Bagudu emphasized that there has been a long debate regarding the appropriation power of the executive and the National Assembly, and a former president even went to the Supreme Court to define this power.
However, no Supreme Court judgement has been made on this matter, and the choice of democracy is that the National Assembly has the last word.
The Minister also clarified that there is a misunderstanding regarding why budgets for agencies classified as statutory transfers do not have their budget line items disclosed.
These agencies are created by the constitution or legislation and have the right to draw up their own budget, which can be supervised by a committee, but it is not the federal government that appropriates for them.
The National Assembly's actions in increasing the 2024 budget have been deemed lawful by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu.
This debate highlights the importance of understanding the appropriation power of both the executive and the National Assembly, as well as the role of statutory transfers in the Nigerian budget.
