Buhari Believes That Good Governance, Transparency Are Integral For Nigeria’s Progress – Presidency

ABUJA-The presidency has assured the National Assembly and indeed, Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari would fully comply with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and other extant laws as it concerns the submission of budget proposals of Federal Government agencies and corporations to the National Assembly.

This followed the recent submission of the proposed budgets of Central Bank of the Nigeria, CBN, Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation, NNPC, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA and others to the National Assembly.

Speaking through Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the president, the Presidency said there President has lived up to the commitment of accountability and transparency by sending the budget proposals.

“The transmission of budgets for the MDAs to the National Assembly, particularly those regarding the Central Bank and the NNPC behemoth is clearly unprecedented. “The President is determined to make the budgeting process more transparent and participatory.

“It is all part of the re-engineering of the entire processes of governance for the benefit of ordinary citizens,” Malam Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman explained in a chat with newsmen, following the transmission of the President’s letter to the National Assembly on the matter”, he said.

Shehu said that President Buhari “strongly believes that good governance and transparency are integral to the nation’s progress and key to the Federal Government’s programme to revamp the economy.”

He said by responding positively to the demand of the National Assembly that MDA budgets be laid before it for scrutiny, “President Buhari has indeed given a clear indication of his commitment to an open, transparent and people-oriented government for Nigerians.’’

The Presidential spokesman added that the current administration has also demonstrated its respect for the parliament, as a principal arm of government in a constitutional democracy.

“Our hope and expectation is that the National Assembly, acting in the best interest of the nation will allow the immediate operationalization of the MDAs budgets, so that the momentum of growth of the economy which has begun to build up will be sustained,” Shehu said.