Metro
Open invitation! Senate invites public to 2017 budget hearing
The 8th Senate will on Monday hold a first-of-its-kind public hearing on the 2017 Appropriation Bill submitted to the legislature by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to a statement by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Public Hearing is aimed at allowing stakeholders and members of the public to make contributions to the proposed legislation before passage by the National Assembly.
Over the past week, the Senate has suspended regular plenary sessions in order to allow all committees conduct oversight and for ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government to defend their allocations in the estimates submitted to the legislature by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Sen Abdullahi, the joint public hearing, will push the budget defense a step further by allowing members of the public to weigh-in constructively on ways to improve the appropriations bill.
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“This will be the first time something like this is happening,” Abdullahi said, “It’s a testament to the commitment of the 8th Senate as a whole to ensure that the budget is passed transparently — with adequate feedback from the general public.”
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, stated that the historic public hearing on the budget was aimed at ensuring more citizen-participation in the legislative processes.
“We will continue to create platforms such as these, that will allow the general public to play a role in what we do here,” the Senate President said, “Moving forward, the public can expect that we will continue this practice of having an open budget hearing where every-day Nigerians are primary contributors.”
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Margret Dickson
February 11, 2017 at 7:55 am
Things like this ought to have been done along time ago. This is having the masses participate in the process of decision making. A good government will include the members of the public in its activities and decision making. Good move from Saraki
Balarabe musa
February 11, 2017 at 2:02 pm
That’s wrong. Budget related issues are not meant for symposium from the entire public. It is a presentation of financial analysis made by various government parastatals, ministries and bodies. So it is expected that, at that level of collating it, it must have undergone serious scrutiny and well analysed before it is codified as appropriation bill to the president before he submits it to the National Assembly, the national Assembly therefore are to vet and modulate it without wasting time so it can become a law and so it can be effective and implemented at the beginning of the year it designated for.
Calling on the public to have their inputs is not a wise move at all. It is called representative democracy and not direct democracy.
Roland Uchendu Pele
February 11, 2017 at 8:31 am
“It’s a testament to the commitment of the 8th Senate as a whole to ensure that the budget is passed transparently — with adequate feedback from the general public.”
To what end, please? Does the public’s feedback make any difference? Abeg, I will just pass!
Animashaun Ayodeji
February 11, 2017 at 11:09 am
This is exactly what I’ve been thinking. Will people’s contributions count? Will our opinions tell on the 2017 budget. As much as this seems like the senate is trying to get closer to the masses by including them in the process of 2017 budget hearing, are they sincere with the open invitation? I really don’t trust them at all
Joy Madu
February 12, 2017 at 7:33 am
Same hear no reasonable issue
Animashaun Ayodeji
February 11, 2017 at 10:56 am
Things like this ought to have been done along time ago. This is having the masses participate in the process of decision making. A good government will include the members of the public in its activities and decision making. Good move from Saraki
JOHNSON PETER
February 11, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Nonsense hearing. What they will do, they will do. They should not bother wasting our time to pass the useless budget meant for the rich. There is no budget for the poor in Nigeria, so the poor should find their own way out.
seyi jelili
February 11, 2017 at 2:46 pm
Lol. Naso o. Nigeria budget is for the politicians but crumbles from it get to the masses sha.
Amaka Okoro
February 12, 2017 at 7:28 am
Good talk budget are meant for the rich and not for the poor.so the rich should take over their budget and allow the poor be