Amid frustrations and criticisms that implementation of 2016 budget has not started, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, has said implementation is on course.
She said there have been systematic release of funds.
Speaking to the staff of the Ministry during the opening of a five-day Specialised Training Programme on Reform and Service Improvement, Mrs Ahmed noted that civil servants are the engine room for growth and development and implementation of government development programme.
After the passage of 2016 appropriation bill into law, the federal government promised to hit the ground running with quarterly injection of N350 billion into capital budget to kick start the stalled economy. That has not happened and no categorical explanation has been provided.
The 2016 budget has N1.9 trillion as capital project component with more than half to be borrowed.
And if government has failed to secure borrowing, Mrs Ahmed said, “Funds have been released for projects that were ready to go and implementation has started in earnest.”
Checks conducted across key ministries handling the capital projects revealed no capital has been released yet, none of the officials spoken to wanted to be quoted for fear of reprimand.
Mrs Ahmed still engaged in litany of promises saying, “Let me say that the budget of N6.06 trillion so far is the largest that Nigeria has ever had and it is very ambitious. It has a capital provision of 29 per cent,” she said.
Quizzed to spell out which specific projects funds have been released for, she declined as the economy continues to unravel.
On diversification amid growing threats to oil, Nigeria’s sole revenue source, Mrs. Ahmed said there is a serious commitment to diversify the economy.
The minister lashed unto the usual rhetoric saying the social intervention programme of 2016 budget was critical in the budget and that 34 priority programmes have also been identified to achieve maximum results.
