A high level drama laced with protests and commotion characterised the joint sitting of the parliament yesterday as President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2019 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly.
The atmosphere was tension-soaked and the proceedings witnessed series of interruptions and interjections as lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their counterparts from the All Progressives Congress (APC) turned it into a political campaign rally. Although, the budget presentation was scheduled to commence at 11a.m., President Buhari and his entourage arrived the National Assembly nearly two hours later. The delay was due to security reports that some lawmakers were poised to embarrass the President and the leadership of the National Assembly used the interlude to pacify the aggrieved parliamentarians.
There was suspense and anxiety when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo arrived the National Assembly complex fuelling speculations that he was standing for President Buhari.
When Osinbajo sauntered into the House of Representatives chambers at 12:36p.m., there was a thunderous applause and acknowledgement from members of the APC, while the opposition members started chanting liberations songs “freedom come by struggle, by struggle, freedom.”
It took Senate President Bukola Saraki about two minutes to get lawmakers to return to their seats. At exactly 12:42p.m., President Buhari was ushered into the chambers by the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu; deputy speaker, Yussuff Suleiman Lasun; the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori, as well as the senior special assistants to the president on National Assembly Matters (Senate and House), Senator Ita Enang and Hon. Kawu Sumaila, respectively.
However, Buhari’s arrival incensed the opposition the more and they continued with their booing and shouts against him, while the APC lawmakers were hailing him “sai Baba”, “four more years”.
Even the opening prayers said by Senator Ajayi Borrofice (Christian) and Hon. Aminu Jaji (Muslim), were not spared as the lawmakers continued making noise.
At 12:50p.m., Senate President Saraki formally welcomed the president to the joint session and invited him to present the budget. But when Buhari stepped out to the podium, the lawmakers resumed their shouting.
The president’s presentation was interrupted up to a point he could not stomach and busted out, saying: “Honourable members, the whole world is watching; and as lawmakers, you are supposed to be above this.” Even with the president’s admonition, the lawmakers never rested on their disturbances, interrupting almost every statement such “which corruption”, “grass cutter”, “it’s lie”, “there is no such project” etc.
The N8.83 trillion budget tagged: “Budget of Continuity,” is N300 billion less than the N9.1 trillion being implemented for the current fiscal year. It is predicated on an oil production estimate of 2.3 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N305 per dollar. Other benchmarks include a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 3.01 per cent and inflation rate of 9.98 per cent.
In the 2019 proposal, total projected revenue is N6.97 trillion, which is three per cent lower than the 2018 estimate of N7.17 trillion. President Buhari noted that though the 2019 estimate was lower than the 2018 budget of N9.1 trillion, it was higher than the N8.6 trillion earlier proposed by the executive to the National Assembly. The deficit in the budget is projected to decrease to N1.86 trillion or 1.3 per cent of the GDP in 2019 from N1.95 trillion projected for 2018.
According to him, this reduction was in line with the administration’s plan to progressively reduce deficit and borrowings over the medium term. An overview of the budget shows that N4.04 trillion or 50.31 per cent is earmarked for recurrent expenditure and N2.03 trillion representing 22.98 per cent for capital projects.
Other estimates are N492.36 billion for statutory transfers, N2.14 trillion for debt servicing and provision of N120 billion as sinking fund which would be used to “retire maturing bonds to local contractors.”
On key sectoral allocations, the Ministry of Interior would get N569.07 billion, Ministry of Defence, N435.62 billion; Ministry of Education, N462.24 billion while Ministry of Health has N315.62 billion allocated to it. According to Buhari, the expected income is made up of projected oil revenue at N3.73 trillion, and non-oil revenue estimated at N1.39 trillion.
“The estimate from non-oil revenue consists of N799.52 billion from company income tax; N229.34 billion from value added tax, and customs duties of N302.5 billion. “We have reduced our expectations from independent revenue to N624.58 billion. Other revenues expected in 2019 include various recoveries of N203.38 billion; N710 billion as proceeds from the restructur- ing of government equity in joint ventures, and other sundry incomes of N104.1 billion,” he said. Buhari explained that the total N8.83 trillion proposed expenditure for 2019 included grants and donor funds amounting to N209.92 billion. The President said N305 billion had been earmarked for petrol subsidy in the 2019 budget proposal.
“We have allowed N305 billion equivalent to $1 billion for under-recovery by the NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) on Premium Motor Spirit in 2019. “Let me take this opportunity to address and clarify the under-recoveries on petrol. “In a period of economic challenges where purchasing power is weak, we must reduce some of the burden on Nigerians,” he said.
After the president finished his speech, had a ceremonial handshake with the presiding officers and formally laid the budget on the table, the lawmakers continued their shouts for and against the president preventing Speaker Dogara from usual moving a vote of thanks. Neither the senate president was allowed to make any remarks. Some of the opposition lawmakers eventually brought out their placards with different inscriptions, which caused a mild commotion amongst them.
Consequently, the national anthem was sung and the president with his entourage exited the chambers. Before the senators joined members of the House in their chambers, the lower chamber went into an executive session, in order to avert the plot to embarrass the president by the opposition lawmakers. Opposition lawmakers, particularly of the PDP stock, had come into the chambers with placards bearing different inscription. But reacting to the development on the floor, spokesman for the House, Hon. Abdulrazaq Namdas said what happened was ‘democracy in action”.
He said: “What happened on the floor is democracy in action. There is nothing abnormal about it. You could see that while members of the ruling party were hailing the president, the opposition was also doing its own. But at the end of the day, the president presented his budget.”
Namdas said that the lawmakers were yet to receive their constituency allowances.
“I want to say it on record here that 50 per cent of the constituency allowance has not been released. The executive has promised to release, but none of us has been able to access it. None of the contractors on our sites have been given anything. We still have not been given our constituency allowance.”
Reacting to the budget proposal, the PDP caucus in the House described the 2019 budget as “yet another hollow ritual”, saying President Buhari has failed to implement successive budgets since 2016 and was guilty of ‘impeachable offence’.
Deputy minority leader, Hon. Chukwuka Onyeama (PDP, Anambra), who disclosed this at a press conference urged Nigerians to use their PVCs wisely and vote out the President Buhari’s led APC government in 2019.
Onyeama said: “Again, the Buhari administration has tabled another multi-trillion Naira budget and again, this hollow ritual it began in 2015 may soon be followed as usual, with excuses for non-performance. Again too, as it has always done, the APC government known for its unique ideology of “blame-ology” will start apportioning of blames to all else except itself.
“For a government that came into power promising Utopia, consistently dismal implementation of the national budget betrays it’s half-hearted, insensitivity to the plight of the Nigerian people who long for genuine progress and development that will positively impact their lives.
“Yet since 2015, it has been an unfortunate harvest of lies, blames and propaganda while it’s overhyped campaign promises of security, economic growth and war against corruption have remained a mirage.”
Onyeama noted that the poor implementation of budgets is a recurring decimal associated with the Buhari administration.
Meanwhile, the APC has condemned the PDP lawmakers for unruly behaviour. The ruling party commended President Buhari for the maturity he exhibited while presenting budget to the National Assembly.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the party also blamed the leadership of the National Assembly for the unsavoury conduct of lawmakers.
APC said: “We condemn in strong terms the action by PDP lawmakers during the presentation of the 2019 budget by President Buhari on Wednesday.
“The PDP should be aware that the disgraceful conduct and actions of its legislative caucus has succeeded in eroding the remnant of the public’s respect (if any) that the party has in the eyes of any respectable Nigerian.
“The PDP has further confirmed its unsavoury image in the eyes of wellmeaning Nigerians, that the party is largely populated by self-serving and unpatriotic members, whose sole aim in politics is to promote their self-interests at the expense of the country’s interests.
“By law, respect for the office of the president or head of government in any clime is not a matter of choice but a civic obligation sanctioned by laws. Being an opposition party or critic is no licence for such wayward conduct by the PDP legislative caucus; most especially against the president of the country.
“Nigerians are not oblivious of the actions and inactions of the National Assembly presiding officers, Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara while the President was being heckled by the PDP legislative caucus. Their failure to rein in their unruly PDP colleagues, while their show of shame lasted clearly confirmed that the PDP members’ action was premeditated and orchestrated to embarrass the President.”