N30trn Questions About Ways And Means

Since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, the National Assembly has, as part of its oversight functions, looked into activities of ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government, especially their revenues and expenditure, with a view to ensuring that there is due diligence in the implementation of policies and programs.

In some cases, in the course of these functions, the lawmakers had taken it upon themselves to probe perceived improprieties which, initially, attracted public and media attention. Along the line, most of those probes are abandoned or, at best, left pending by the various panels raised by the same National Assembly.

Often, members of the National Assembly have, by way of motions and bills, raised the alarm over the alleged corruption and mismanagement of public resources, leading to investigations by standing and ad hoc committees. The panels either promptly carry out the probes and present their reports, differ the assignment till the Assembly winds down or the issues are overtaken by events even as humongous sums had been spent in those manipulated exercises.

In the opinion of this newspaper, it is clear that there is not much on ground in terms of actionable result to justify the resources invested in those investigations that turn out to be obvious wild goose chase. If those efforts were conscientiously pursued, perhaps, the lawmakers would have achieved much in saving the economy from undeserved hemorrhaging.

It is from this background that we begin to assess the recent resolution of the Senate to probe the N30 trillion Ways and Means facility secured from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the immediate past administration. The Senate has already set up an ad hoc committee to carry out what it described as a holistic investigation into the matter and report to plenary in four weeks.

The Senate’s move has raised a lot of questions about the motives behind the investigation. The probe is seen as an attempt by political actors to distract Nigerians from the current economic crisis and to deceive them into believing that the government is working in their best interest. The question being asked by discerning Nigerians has to do with what exactly the Senate is trying to achieve with this probe. This line of thinking is further reinforced by the realization that the Senate, during its ninth session and partly in the present 10th session, had approved or regularized the vexatious and wasteful spending.

However, we are compelled to examine the functions of the Senate as they relate to approvals for public spending. For a start, the Senate is empowered to control the amount of public funds that will be spent and the way they will be disbursed. It draws its powers from Section 80(3) of the 1999 Constitution which provides that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation, other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, unless the issue of those moneys has been authorized by an Act of the National Assembly.”

Sub-section 4 further provides that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public fund of the Federation, except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.”

Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution clearly states that the president shall also present the estimates of revenue and expenditure for the following year which is usually called the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly for confirmation and approval.

It is, therefore, disconcerting that the Senate compromised, in the first instance, by approving the ways and means to the Buhari administration. The Senate simply failed to hold the executive to account and is now launching a probe into what it clearly approved. The probe, in our considered opinion, like the previous ones, is unlikely to yield any tangible results.

The Senate’s decision to probe past administration for loans that were approved by it appears to be a cynical ploy to distract Nigerians from the real issues at hand. It is time for the government to focus on addressing the economic crisis and to take concrete steps to support ordinary Nigerians who are struggling to make ends meet.

In the opinion of this newspaper, the probe by the senate is most likely to be a waste of time and resources. The lawmakers are merely after the sitting allowances and other incentives that come with the committee assignments.

These probes, desirable as they seem, hardly lead to better legislation or punishment for culprits. With neither as the outcome, we insist on being convinced that they are worth the effort. The anti-corruption fight should begin with the lawmakers themselves. They have a duty to explain to Nigerians why it is impossible for them to conclude such fact-finding exercises. Or for that matter, execute the result of the ones they managed to conclude.

The N30 trillion ways and means facility has as many questions attached to it. The Senate is in a position to find the required answers. Nigerians are waiting.