Budget: Why senators, reps are angry with Okonjo-Iweala

FURTHER factemerged on Mondayas to the source of anger shown by senators and members of the House of Representatives during the 2012 budget consultative meeting held at the Presidential Villa, last week.The meeting, which was attended by President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate president, Senator David Mark; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, as well as committee chairmen in the two chambers saw many of the lawmakers demanding details of budget cut in the executive arm of government from the Finance Minister, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.It was learnt that the lawmakers were aggrieved that while the Senate and the House of Representatives had agreed to cut their overheads by 40 per cent in the 2011 budget, most executive arms did not do so.Sources also confirmed that notwithstanding the frenzy about the bid to remove subsidy on petroleum products, most lawmakers were still in the dark as to the details.A source said unless convincing details were prepared for the consumption of the lawmakers, the National Assembly might not go along with the government on the planned removal of subsidy.Sources at the meeting further said many lawmakers were interested in details of overhead costs to be reduced by agencies under the presidency, as well as revenue earning agencies and parastatals.But Okonjo-Iweala was said to have insisted on a freeze on overheads, insisting that it had become imperative to further cut government expenditure, especially overheads.
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