Ensure honest implementation of 2016 budget, experts urge FG

Some experts in the power sector on Monday urged the Federal Government to ensure honest implementation of the 2016 budget in order to reduce the economic hardship in the country.

The experts, in different interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for making sure that the grey areas of the budget were looked into and resolved before signing it.

Mr Gracious Omatseye, the immediate past Chairman, Nigeria Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, (NIEEE), urged the government to set up monitoring teams to ensure proper execution of projects in the budget.

Omatseye advised the government to ensure that companies handling projects were given certificates indicating they had done good jobs on completion of projects.

The former NIEEE chairman said that in the past, most of the monitoring teams used to approve projects that had not been completed after being bribed.

He said that he was impressed with the manner the budget issue was handled by the two organs of government for the first time.

Omatseye urged Nigerians to cooperate with the government to ensure the execution of all projects in the budget.

Mr Adekunle Makinde, the National Chairman, Young Engineers Forum of Nigeria, said that the delay in signing the budget had made the economy to be on standstill.

He said that the eventual signing of the budget was a welcome development and its implementation would benefit the nation maximally.

The chairman said if money allocated to power was well utilised, there would be some improvement in power supply.

“The budget cannot cover all the infrastructure development needed in the power sector, but if the little allocation is judiciously used, there is going to be improvement in the sector.

“The onus is now on all ministries to kick-start the implementation of the budget, because things are hard now,” he said.

Mr Yomi Kolawole, the Managing Director, Topean Energy Solutions Ltd., said that although the budget was delayed, it had the potential to change the life of Nigerians.

NAN recalls that President Buhari signed the 2016 N6.06 trillion Appropriation Bill into law at the Presidential in Abuja on May 6.

The government said that the budget would stimulate the nation’s slowing economy, following the fall in the oil price at the international market.