Reps warn MDAs on budget implementation

The House of Representatives has stated its readiness to exercise its powers of oversight on ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government on the implementation of the 2020 Appropriation Act.

The House stated that it would go all out against MDAs who failed to follow the national budget to the letter.

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, made this known at Wednesday’s plenary in his welcome address, after the return of the lawmakers from a five-week recess to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

The Senate and the House of Representatives had on December 5, 2019, concurrently passed the 2020 Appropriation Bill, raising the total estimates from the proposed N10.33tn to about N10.6tn.

Buhari had assented to the bill on December 17, 2019.

Gbajabiamila noted that the timely passage and presidential assent to the appropriation bill were due to the collaborative efforts by the legislature and the executive.

He said, “For the first time since 1999, we have a budget passed by the legislature and signed into law before the start of the implementation year. I commend and thank all the members of this House for your efforts towards achieving early passage of the Appropriation Act 2020 and the Finance Act, both of which have now been signed into law.

“Passing the budget into law is merely the beginning. We now have a duty to ensure faithful compliance with the letter and spirit of the law by the MDAs of the Federal Government.

“We will carry out this responsibility and we will do so with integrity, taking pains to ensure that we leave no room for neither friends nor foes to find fault with our words or deeds.”