Sambo Commend Representatives On NABRO

ABUJA, May 27, (THEWILL) - The Vice President Arch. Namadi Sambo has commended the initiative of the House of Representatives in passing the National Assembly Budget and Research Office Bill leading to the launching of the office saying the creation of the office is a bold step in the right direction in consolidating democracy as well as avenue for National Assembly to fulfill its constitutional mandates.

Speaking at the official commissioning of the office in Abuja, Arch. Sambo said the institution which is patterned to fulfill the same function as that of US Congressional Budget Office, CBO, is important as it promotes transparency and accountability in government through in-depth analyses and review of budget estimates pursuant of passage of Appropriation Bills(Budget), adding that its establishment will further consolidate the improved relations between the Executive and Legislative Arm of Government.

He noted that in recent times such relations has improved since the beginning of our democracy in 1999, stressing that such cordial relations has been demonstrated in the expeditious passage of such executive bills as the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill and the AMCON Bill.

He said the absence of NABRO as an institution to assist the National Assembly is partly responsible for the inefficiency in our budgetary system adding that the outsourcing which was done to operationalise the body through the engagement of KPMG, an international consulting firm is in line with global best practices and modern trends toward national development.

Earlier the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole said the National Assembly relies much on statistics and data to fulfill its constitutional mandates particularly in the area of appropriation and oversight adding that a situation where the legislature has to rely on statistic and data from the executive and its agencies to carry out its function is not in line with democratic best practices.

He said with the establishment of NABRO which was spearheaded by the House of Representatives since 1999, and has now come on stream to assist in validating fact and figures for the legislature adding however that it is not meant to confront the Executive arm of the government but to work closely with the Budget office of the Presidency and KPMG to arrive at impartial and correct position in relation to appropriation and oversight.

Hon. Habeeb Fasinro, the Chairman of House Legislative Budget and Research Committee that established that midwifed the body said it was patterned like the US CBO which came into existence in the 70s following disagreements between the Executive and the Legislative arm of government adding that politicians as legislators and even professionals in various fields may not have all the information on economic matters adding that such information that will be provided by NABRO will be free from any political identification.

The Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa said the establishment of the office is in line with democratic trends the world over with such institution in USA, France Great Britain and South Korea.

Dignitaries at the launching of the office at ITF Building in Abuja included the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji, Usman Nafada, Chairman of the House Rules and Business Committee, Hon. Ita Enang, amongst others.