Fashola calls for synergy between executive, legislative arms

Forum 7 years ago

Fashola calls for synergy between executive, legislative arms

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has described as inappropriate the act of increasing the national budget, also known as budget padding by the legislative arm of government.
Fashola, who was speaking at the annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, noted that since the federal lawmakers had no powers to collect tax, they did not possess the right to unilaterally hike the budget.

Fashola was speaking on the topic, ‘The Role of the Legislature and Executive in the Budget Process,” where he called for synergy between the two arms of government in the budget process.


The former governor said, “I like to say that it is not appropriate for parliament to unilaterally seek to increase the budget because they do not collect taxes.

“I think there should be collaboration between the executive and the legislature in the budgeting process. In this process, clear lines should be drawn because compromise is better achieved where all parties know their rights.”

The minister further charged lawmakers to nominate constituency projects that would benefit their constituencies as against their personal interests.

He added, “If we say constituency projects, we must make sure they are not senators’ projects. Even if they were nominated by senator or state lawmakers, they must be the projects that the constituency own.


“In cases where the lawmaker who started the project is not returned, the person who takes over should continue the project. This is not the case we have.

“What we see are new legislators coming and starting their own projects. In my ministry, we have over 200 constituency projects with no parentage. I have said we must finish these projects, but people are nominating new ones. I said we must finish the old ones.”