A civil society group, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, has accused the Senate of frustrating the move to establish a Budget Office for the National Assembly.
The group's Executive Director, Mallam Awual Musa, said this in an interview with our correspondent, in Abuja, on Thursday.
He explained that despite the several calls for the establishment of the office to reduce the delay in the budgetary system, the Upper Legislative chamber had shown little or no interest in the project.
He said, “The Senate appears not to be interested in the establishment of a Budget Office unlike their colleagues in the House of Representatives who have a sort of office which for now is acting like one.
“The importance of a Budget Office cannot be over emphasised. For one, it helps to have professionals look at the details of proposals made by the executive and make recommendations to the National Assembly on the best way to respond.
“It will help the National Assembly arrive at a concrete decision that will help Nigeria.
“This annual ritual and drama associated with budget defence which has become an avenue for lawmakers to throw personal attacks and hurl insults at government officials will become a thing of the past when professionals not politicians are given room to do their jobs.”
Spokesman for the Senate, Eyinnaya Abaribe, however dismissed such claims, saying the Upper House was aware of the importance to the office.
Abaribe said, “It is not true that we are stalling. The Senate more than everyone else is aware of the fact that we need a budget office.
“As we speak, this is being worked on in terms of the legal framework and the physical infrastructure. We are working to ensure that before the end of this legislative calendar, we will have a functional Budget Office.”
