New Telegraph

FG to roll over 2020 capital projects in 2021 Budget –Senate

There are indications that most projects under the capital component of the 2020 Appropriation Act would be rolled over to 2021 fiscal year, following the negative effects of COVID-19 on the budget implementation process.

 

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Jibrin Barau, gave the indication in an interview with New Telegraph in Abuja, while speaking on the level of implementation of the 2020 budget.

 

He said that the 2020 budget implementation had been seriously obstructed by the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing out that rolling  over of some items in the budget would be inevitable.

by Chief Executives of agencies of government in meeting the various requirements in budget implementation processes, and would work with them in the best interest of Nigeria

. He said that the Committee on Appropriations would look at the budget performance of agencies of government based on fund releases by the Federal Ministry of Finance, stressing that some capital projects that could not be executed due to the prevailing difficulties in the economy would be rolled over.

 

“The 2020 budget has just been signed few weeks ago and now, the next thing that comes up is that ministries begin to actualize the provision of the budget. “Where we are now is the Chief Executives of various ministries are working round the clock to construct the procurement process.

 

“There is release of funds by the Federal Ministry of Finance so that the budget can easily be implemented.

 

“The Federal Ministry of Finance has just released funds to all ministries across the board for implementation of budget and you know that President Muhammadu Buhari  gave a matching order that 50% should be released on each item on the list so that budget can be funded.

 

“It’s when agencies of government get funds that they will switch into action to implement capital aspect of the budget; so this is the stage we are now,” he said. He expressed fears that budget performance might be abysmal, but said that rolling over capital projects in the Appropriation Act into the next year is normal in budgetary process.

 

Barau also said that it would not be possible for his committee to properly assess the 2020 budget performance of agencies of government now due to disruption by the pandemic. “If not because of COVID- 19, the budget would have started running since February or March 2020, unfortunately, it’s in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The entire country was locked down and nothing was done, particularly that no revenue was not coming in.

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