The President of the Senate, David Mark, has said the National Assembly’s input in national budgets is based on the powers given to it by the Constitution.
He spoke at a workshop for civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations on budget monitoring, evaluation and reporting, which held in Abuja on Monday.
“Our roles in budgeting should not be misunderstood to mean meddling in the functions of the Executive. We represent the people and we owe it a duty to let them know,” Mark said.
This is coming as the National Assembly has kept in abeyance the 2013 Budget Amendment Bill forwarded to it by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mark, however, clarified that the National Assembly was neither in competition nor in squabble with the Executive arm of government.
He said, “When we ask questions about implementation of budget, we are merely exercising our constitutional powers of appropriation and oversight.
“Specifically, Section 88(2b) of the Constitution states: ‘Subject to the provision of this Constitution, each House of the National Assembly shall have power by resolution to expose corruption, inefficiency, or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement or administration of funds appropriated by it.’”
