2018 budget: Changes made by National Assembly unconstitutional – Lawyer

Malam Inuwa Abdullahi, a Gombe-based legal practitioner, has described the changes made to 2018 national budget by the National Assembly as counter-productive, bias and unconstitutional. Abdullahi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Thursday, said the budget was a product of procedural consultation and statutory role of the Executive to structure, as a proposition to the National Assembly. NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari expressed misgivings over the role the National Assembly played in tinkering with the budget signed on Wednesday. According to Abdullahi, any deviation from the constitutional appropriation of powers by any arm of government is a breach of the law. “The budget is a product of procedures and consultations. Budget is a product of advice, inputs and other contributions from experts, which the Federal Government presents as a proposition. “It is the Executive that is saddled with the responsibilities of proposing the budget, because they are the policy makers. By our constitution, no one is allowed to go out of its powers. “Undoubtedly, the action of the National Assembly is counter-productive, bias, unfortunate and unconstitutional. “We have three arms of government which must operate within the purviews of their assigned powers. “Based on consultations, Federal Government proposes a budget with a plan in line with national policy. It is from the consultations that budget emerges. National Assembly does not do consultations of that sort,” he said. Abdullahi added that the National Assembly did not have enough experts within the assembly to consult on budget matters, stressing that it was unconstitutional for it to propose a budget.]]>