2014 budget full of distortions, says FG

The 2014 budget passed by the National Assembly is “full of distortions”, the federal government has said.

Information Minister Labaran Maku said the Goodluck Jonathan administration was doing everything possible to resolve the issues which may cause a negative impact on its implementation.

The Senate and House of Representatives passed the budget shortly before Easter, raising the figures from the N4.642 trillion estimates submitted by the executive to N4.695 trillion – a difference of about N53 billion.

Maku briefed the media after the federal executive council meeting on Wednesday.

He said: “The minister of finance briefed us today at the Federal Executive Council relating to the progress on the budget. It is very sad that we have almost entered the middle of the year and we don’t have a budget. This indeed is sad that the budget has taken so long in coming and practically we have less than seven months to execute the budget.

“There are few areas of distortions and there are those areas that are very serious and we think there is a need to look into them because of the negative impact those distortions may have on the implementation of the budget.”

Maku said the “few differences with the National Assembly” will be resolved and the budget will be  signed by the president soon.

“There is a lot of conversation going on now between the federal ministry of finance and the National Assembly on these issues. And very shortly we believe that we are going to reconcile those areas and then the final budget will be announced to the nation by the President,” he said.

On the second Niger Bridge, Minister of Works Mike Onolememen said he briefed council on the progress of work.

“If you travel to Asaba today, you will see the new road and the massive deployment of equipment to site with the Julius Berger working to ensure that work is delivered as scheduled,” he said.