Budget office DG fired over fiasco

The Federal Government may have fired the Director General of the Budget Office Yahaya Gusau as a result of the poor handling of Budget 2016.

Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Mr. Tijjani Mohammed Abdullahi to replace Gusau, who was appointed to the position last August.

The budget office has also been reorganized with the appointment of Mr. Ben Akabueze as Special Adviser on National Planning to the President. Akabueze, a former commissioner for Budget in Lagos State will work with the Minister for Budget and National Planning Mr. Udoma Udo-Udoma.

The statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Mr. Femi Adesina, which announced the new appointees yesterday,  did not give the reason for the change but it was learnt that the vow by the government to investigate the discrepancies in the submitted document and punish whoever is culpable, is the reason for the change.

Mr. Abdullahi, a fellow of the Certified National Accountants of Nigeria, and a banker of repute with experience in managing public finance.

Mr Akabueze has worked in senior management positions in Citi Bank, Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa, NAL Merchant Bank, Sterling Bank and BIA Consulting Limited, among others.

He is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers; Fellow, Institute of Credit Administrators and Honorary Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Yesterday, Senate Leader Ali Ndume said the problems with the 2016 budget as submitted is because it was rushed before submission to the National Assembly by the President.

He told reporters at the State House after meeting with the President that the problems associated with the document will be sorted out so that the bill can be passed and signed into law.

He said: “We are working on the budget daily. We are working on it collectively for the first time.

“The Executive and the Legislature are looking at the budget collectively.

This is the first time we will be doing it this way.

“The matter is not about a date. If we can finish it today, we will hand it over for signature tomorrow.

“In those days, we just passed budgets that were normally not implemented. This is the first time we are doing a budget that the President is looking forward to implementing.

“This budget was done in a rush and you know there are some issues that are cropping up. It is no longer going to be business as usual.

“So, those unusual things, if detected, we will work on them. It is not as if we are holding on to the budget. We are working collectively.”

His consultation with the President, he said, was necessary because there were other bills pending before the National Assembly which require such consultations.

He said: “There are issues that are really on ground. One is the budget. We also have two bills before the Senate that we need to start working on when we resume tomorrow (today); the Money Laundering Bill and the Criminal Information Sharing Bill.

“There are issues other than those ones that are really on ground. This is how we are supposed to be doing it earlier. That is, coming into the Villa to consult and guide the proceedings in the Senate appropriately.

“Other than that, I don’t want you to see it as an unusual visit. I will be doing this often because this is how it is supposed to be.

“Again, I normally consult with the President on a personal basis long before he became the President, so it is not unusual. “

He disagreed with the suggestions that he was at the Villa to intercede on behalf of Senate President Bukola Saraki over his prosecution at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

He said: “I am not the Senate President. The question should be directed at the Senate President.

“You are asking me what I do not know. I consult and if I have to mediate on anything, there should be a problem. I do not know of any problem,” he said.