The Obvious Cancer in The Federal Government's 2017 Budget, By Anayo Nwosu

No matter how well-crafted the 2017 Federal Govt Budget is, or how well the National Assembly reshapes or enriches it, this budget and the subsequent ones just like the ones before them, will still be plagued with a cancer that ravages Budgetary implementation at federal level.

Ever wonder which cancer? You will be surprised to know.

All should please note that a budget is simply a statement of how government wants to spend or invest whatever revenues it earns or borrows in the coming year with strategies on how to realize the revenues.

It is only an intention which may never be realized.

The  budget writers who are also the policy makers and the budget executors focus more on ways and measures (like raises in taxes and economic stimuli) to earn more revenues to spend while the lawmakers focus their scrutiny on the spending side or the projects to be executed.

What if the revenue targets are not met or the funds expected to be borrowed or earned do not come in a timely manner as expected to finance the budgeted projects?

Who now determines the ranking or the queuing  of the projects or the projects to be executed with the not-sufficient revenues realized?

I mean those projects to be executed first (in preference of the others to be pended) with the scarce but available revenues and the one to be left unexecuted.

That's the problem!

What do you think would be the behavior of the current implementers of the budget in their choice of the projects to be implemented when faced with dwindling revenues?

The lawmakers do not approve the timelines of budgeted projects. The executives make those calls.

The budgetary cancer in Nigeria lies in the act of the Nigerians in the executive arm of government who usually would channel the available revenues to implement only projects in their constituencies in exclusion of other more systemically important ones.

What would you now expect from this present executive that has been accused of lope-sided appointments in key executive positions?

My prediction of the performance of the 2017 Federal Government budget is that the revenues generation projection will go "South" while the budget implementation of key projects will go "North".

This is the cancer which the "East" and "West" should close ranks to find a solution to or to guard against.