Budget must meet milestones ' Mark

The 2012 budget must not fail to meet all the targeted economic growth and infrastructural development that it aims to achieve, Senate President David Mark has said.Speaking yesterday during budget presentation President Goodluck Jonathan to the National Assembly, Mark said the lawmakers have listened to eloquent presentations of budgets over the years with nothing to show for it in terms economic growth and infrastructural development.According to him 'Over the years, we have listened to very beautiful and impressive budget speeches eloquently delivered in this chamber. Unfortunately, the implementation has not matched the words as economic policies often lack continuity and projects are needlessly discarded or abandoned.'Let this budget be the one that will say let there be light, and there is light; let there be roads and there are roads; let there be water, and there is water; let there be employment and there is employment; let there be medi-care and it is so; and let there be food and there is food.'Mark therefore charged President Jonathan on the need for synergy between all stakeholders to ensure that the 2012 budget delivers on all milestones that it aims to achieve.'Let me remind us that in 2011 the Legislature led the way in reducing our overhead and recurrent expenditure in order to increase investment in capital expenditure and to lead by example.'We must lay emphasis on critical infrastructure, reduce revenue leakages, grow the economy, generate employment, encourage local production and promote made-in Nigeria goods. We on our part will ensure the comprehensive implementation of the 2012 budget to the letter through our oversight functions.
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