Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has said there will be no rift between the Executive and Legislature in the year 2018.
Besides, Enang stated that the 2018 budget would not be padded and that Nigerians will experience benefit of a harmonious relationship between the two arms of government which would foster rapid development.
Enang stated this yesterday while fielding questions from National Assembly correspondents in Abuja.
He noted that the presidency was committed to ensuring that the economic challenges faced by the country were adequately tackled.
His words: “this year is going to be a very robust year in the executive-legislative relationship because Nigerians will see harmony, concord, cooperation and the best of relationship between the executive and the legislature.You are not going to have uncommon compromise you are going to have engagement not something combustible.”
Speaking on the 2018 budget, he described padding as a new lexicon in the legislative process which he stated was unlawful insertion.
“In my opinion, padding is an illegal or unlawful insertion by a person who is not expected to do it into a legal, purely completed legislative document. Therefore unless a bill has been passed and forwarded to Mr President for assent, there can be no padding.
“If the Bill had been forwarded to the President and something is inserted into that before it is assented to by any person and something is added different from what is in the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate and the House of Representatives, is what constitutes padding.
“On the part of the executive, if a Bill is forwarded to Mr President be it a Bill on any matter or budget and the President or the Governor, something is inserted by the Governor or by the executive into the Bill before assenting, that is padding,” he added.
Stating further, Enang said “if after a Bill has been assented to by the president, and forwarded to the National Assembly for publication and gazetting and somebody inserts something before publication in the gazette, that is padding.”
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