NASS May Seek to Amend Envelope Budgeting for MDAs - Akpabio
NASS May Seek to Amend Envelope Budgeting for MDAs - Akpabio
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has said that the National Assembly may seek to amend the current Envelope Budgeting for the government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Akpabio dropped the hint on Tuesday while receiving in audience together, a delegation of the Federal Civil Service Commission led by its Chairman, Professor Tunji Olaopa and another delegation led by the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack.
Responding to the complaint of financial constraints faced by the Federal Civil Service Commission, Akpabio said he was aware of the current Envelope Budgeting system which the Commission is subjected to.
The Senate President told the delegation that "Probably we will discuss it on a larger scale, in the two chambers.
"Sometime if somebody gives you envelope for N10 billion and your problems are over N100 billion. How can you solve the problem. And if for any reason at all we double it for you...they will say oh, no, you can't pass the envelope.
"We will take it up and discuss it and l believe strongly, this President being a reformist, we will look at it and see the best way to ensure proper budgeting, and not abolish but maybe amend the envelope system in a way that will meet the exigency of the various MDAs."
Akpabio assured the Commission of the support of the National Assembly to enable the Commission deliver on its mandate.
He however counselled the Commission on the best approach to any planned recruitment exercise: "The best way for you to do recruitment is through their representatives. There are 109 senators representing the entire nation. If you want to go by the Senatorial Districts, we are all available.
"If you want to go by Federal Constituencies, we have 360 members who are also very much available in the House of Representatives. The best way to ensure that people are truly representing their localities is to go through their representatives, their legislators.
"The few requests that you have made, l assure you, we will look at them, based on the existing reality of the paucity of funds available.
Professor Olaopa had earlier complained to the Senate President that the current Envelope system of Budgeting made it difficult for the Commission to deliver on its mandate and sought the intervention of the National Assembly through the Senate President.
On her part, the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack also pleaded with the Senate President for an enhanced budget to implement the laudable programmes and projects lined up by her office.
"Despite all our laudable and very transformative programmes and projects, we have had several financial constraints and we know that it is not peculiar to our office but we do believe that 2026 presents another year wherein we can catch up with things that we are unable to do in 2025.
"Part of the reasons why we are here is to ask that the Senate would look kindly upon the budget for the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to ensure that we are able to carry out all the laudable programmes and projects which we have earmarked first in 2025 and in 2026," Mrs Walson-Jack said.