Nigerian Senate Gives President Buhari Deadline To Present His Proposed N12.66 Trillion Budget

The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan has asked the President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the submission of the 2021 national budget before the end of September this year.

Lawan stated this on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, while reacting the 2021-2023 Median Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, which were submitted to the federal Parliament by Buhari on Tuesday.

He said the presentation of the budget before the end of September, would enable the National Assembly to complete necessary works and pass it before the end of December.

He also asked the various committee members to engage all the revenue-generating committees very well to ensure that a thorough job is done.

Lawan had on Tuesday read on the floor of the Senate, the 2020 – 2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Buhari.

The document forwarded by Buhari for approval proposed the sum of N12.66trillion as aggregate expenditure for 2021 on a deficit of N5.16 trillion to be financed by total loan packages of N4.28 trillion.

It further targeted N481.41billion as statutory transfers, N5.75trillion as recurrent expenditure, N3.33trillion for capital expenditure and N3.12 trillion for debt servicing.

The document equally projected $40 as oil price benchmark, 1.86million barrels as oil production per day, N360 to US dollar as exchange rate.

In the letter attached to the document, President Buhari said the presentation of the 2021-2023 MTEF/ FSP was to give the lawmakers enough time to perform its important constitutional duty of reviewing the framework.

The letter read in part: “It is with pleasure that I forward the 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) for the kind consideration and approval of the Distinguished Senate.

“Let me seize this opportunity to express my deep gratitude for the cooperation, support and commitment of the leadership and distinguished members of the Senate in our collective efforts to sustain the restoration of the January – December financial year.

“In line with our commitment, we have worked very hard to achieve and earlier submission of the MTEF/FSP. This is to allow the National Assembly enough time to perform its important constitutional duty of reviewing the framework.

“I herewith forward the 2021 – 2023 MTEF/FSP as the 2021 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions of the approved 2021 – 2023 MTEF/FSP. I seek the cooperation of the National Assembly for expeditious legislative action on the submission.”

In a copy of the document sighted by Nigerian Tribune, President Buhari expressed concern on the effect of the rampaging pandemic, Coronavirus on revenue target.

But the document revealed that the federal government was determined “to using innovative ways to raise revenues required for financing its expenditures and diversifying its revenue sources thereby increasing the Revenue to GDP ratio. The medium-term target for this remains 15 percent.”

It noted that “higher revenue collections will enable Government to effectively deliver public services, enhance infrastructure investment and mitigate the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

The document further revealed that the federal government has seized the initiative to confront the negative effect of parlous revenue generation on capital projects.

One of the measures in the fiscal policy is to increase oil revenues, through upfront fiscal deductions by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for federally funded projects.

“The NNPC is taking measures to further reduce the cost of crude oil production to $10 per barrel or below 2021.

“This will be achieved by reducing key cost drivers including logistics, security and transportation. In addition, under recovery costs by the NNPC in the course of importing petrol for the country has been eliminated with the recent elimination of subsidies in Premium Motor Spirit pricing. Other measures include accelerating licensing of Marginal Oil Fields and renewals of existing licenses as well as ramping up production from previously shut down oil wells.”

KanyiDaily had reported that President Buhari gave NASS N27billion for the renovation of its complex, and cut the allocations of Heath and Education in 2020 budget.