By Ibraheem Abdullateef.
Upon the inauguration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on May 29, 2019, the 2019 budget had been passed and appropriated by the 8th Assembly. The budget was signed as the Appropriation Law by the immediate former Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed on the 24th of December 2019. The passed Budget has been in operation since the beginning of this year and it is expected that Abdurazaq Administration will work by the budget since it is a Law. Normally, it would regulate the government expenditure funding for the fiscal year except a budget review is requested by the Executive government.
Appropriation bill otherwise known as Spending bill is a proposed law that authorises the government expenditure according to budgeted funds. It is a bill that authenticate setting money aside for specific spending purposes. In Nigerian democratic context, this requires the approval of Legislature to be passed into a bill before being signed into law by the governor. Anything out of this arrangement is unconstitutional and illegal.
I am afraid that illegality could be reigning in Kwara State. It become more unbelievable when it is happening right under the nose of the celebrated change agent, Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman. I am quite sure advancing unconstitutionality and rewriting the practice of financial misappropriation was not one of his campaign promises.
On July 27 2019, Governor AbdulRazaq sent a supplementary budget of #135, 159, 772, 167bn to the State Assembly for consideration and passage. It represented a 15% percent decrease in the one of #157, 802, 032, 651bn passed by the 8th Assembly. They said it became pertinent to accommodate the new government various plans and projects. The proposed revised budget is still with the KHoA, at the 2/3 reading, waiting for public hearing before it is signed into law. But till this moment, the budget in operation, though the Governor Spokesperson claim adherence to the budget, is unknown. Now I ask, which budget?
Though we were told that government is spending based on the 2019 Budget passed by the 8th Assembly. But such weak rebuttal cannot convince the worst of illiterates not to talk of vastly knowledgeable citizenry like Kwarans. Do you have a copy of 2019 Approved Budget?
According to the Financial Appropriation Law, it is currently in operation pending the approval of the revised version by the House. Join me in checking where the below expenditure were enlisted.
The Ministry Of Education & Human Capital Development ( check the code; 0517001 in the budget) have both Capital and Recurrent components, Overhead (Personnel cost + Overhead) but Capital are those physical and non physical projects which includes the payment of counterpart funding. Now Kwara State government claim they paid several Counterpart funding which is not in the 2019 Budget ( constitutionally binding) passed by the 8th Assembly which they claim to be implemented, so the question to ask is which vote those payments fall under the previous budget passed? The UBEC funding readily comes to mind here.
We should also peruse the vote for Ministry of Health ( read Code 0521001 in the budget). Ministry of Health Capital Budget have been most tampered with. The 232 million naira counterpart funding and the recent over 20million naira released for a medical outreach are unbudgeted for in the 2019 budget. You won’t find anything of the such. For want of evidence, I could have mentioned several instances the government is strongly suspected of financial misappropriation because examples abound.
Financial Misappropriation is not all about cornering funds for personal gains. I understand that is the common definition as we do mistake embezzlement and fraud for the latter. It could be concisely defined as deliberate or intentional or illegal use of the funds of another person (Kwara Treasury) for personal use or other unauthorised purpose. Put in proper context, the government expenditure and funding not voted for in the Appropriation bill and also without inclusion in a revised budget approved by the Legislature, is an illegal, unconstitutional and immoral act of misappropriation.
It might interest you to know how gross the offense is. Although unconfirmed yet, a lawyer brother told me it is an impeachable offence. And I wonder why a government which rode on popular mandate choose to hoist the flag of impunity with reckless abandonment.
Quite oddly, the government prides herself as a change from the old order. With this development, the recent recommendation of suspension for the 16 Local Government Chairmen on the ground of alleged misappropriation and embezzlement could be said to be the right thing done by equally wrong people. Neither the Legislature which have not cautioned the Executive on the daring act of out of budget spending nor the latter passes the moral test to hold torchlight to the eyes of the alleged pilferers of the commonwealth. That is not to absolve these men of their wrongdoings.
The State Assembly, as a matter of urgency, should hasten up the passage of the proposed revised budget. I reckon they are the only ones who could save the governor of this basic governing faux pas if only they would take a break from some of their politically colored legislative adventures which have equally made the much celebrated FOI Act a mirage in recent times. With three months to the end of the year and revised budget bill is yet to be passed, how can we conduct a proper budget evaluation and performance? I fear more given that the talks about 2020 budget is not in sight.
Governor AbdulRazaq is enjoined to calm his excitement to be seen performing in office by pausing to do the right thing. I am afraid a litigation as regards to misappropriation with strong evidence could make desired performance, not to talk of achievement, a pipe dream. Court cases in Nigeria are proven distractions to governance. No level of goodwill could erase illegality as it is only a question of time before rough dust is raised over the seemingly government clean financial slate if proper care is not taken.
Governor AbdulRazaq should be informed out of budget spending is subtle advancing the obnoxious practice of illegality and barbarism by whatever means and Kwara cannot afford to go that way again.
