The lawmakers’ budget, he said, will be put into the public domain as against the practice of one item.
He spoke at the inauguration of the renovated Senate Press Corps at the National Assembly, Abuja.
Saraki’s response may be a tacit reply to corruption charges levelled against the National Assembly by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in its letter to federal lawmakers.
He said it was wrong for anybody to hold an individual or group of people solely responsible for what happened in the past.
The Senate president noted that rather
than trading words on the problems of the country, what was needed from
stakeholders was collective participation for the good of Nigerians.
He said: “We’ve been here since 1999 to the recent past when things were not done right; we are part of it.
“I was there; you were there and every other political office holder was there.
“My own view from the Eighth National Assembly is that the time for collective participation for the good of Nigerians is here with us in line with the change mantra of this administration.
“We are on the same page for things to be done differently.
“I think what we need now from stakeholders, is more of cooperation, encouragement and participation as opposed to trying to hold one person responsible for the mistakes of the past that we are part of. It is clearly not the right thing needed now.
“I appeal to you and Nigerians that we should work together, just as I assure you that we will do well here in the National Assembly to practically complement the change agenda.”
Saraki added that the National Assembly would come up with an amendment bill on the procurement process to ensure strict and transparent implementation of the N6.08 trillion 2016 budget.
He added that “before we put our signatories to it, we need to be sure of its implementability.”
The Senate president noted that if the 2016 budget was going to be realistic and successful, emphasis should be on the non-oil and independent revenue-generating sources.
He reiterated that the Eighth Senate would focus on the revenue-generating areas and to ensure that leakages are blocked.
Saraki added that though the 2016 budget proposal was ambitious, it could be achieved if all that was necessary to make it work was put in place.
Asked if the 2016 budget was implementable in view of the dwindling price of crude oil at the international market, Saraki said: “I think this is one of the reasons why we are having the MDAs defend their proposals before the committees to be able to test some of the scenarios and some of the assumptions, particularly on the revenue side. If you look at the revenue, of about N3.8 trillion, N3 trillion is coming from non-oil and independent revenue.
“The success of the budget, in my view, is less on the benchmark. It is more on those two items – non-oil revenue and independent revenue – and that is why we directed our Committee on Finance and other relevant committees to scrutinise the revenue side.
“Even the Senate leadership intends to engage the ministries as well to check those two lines, because that is where the questions come on whether it is achievable. Before we put our signatures to it, we need to be sure those funds are there.
“I believe they are ambitious but it is a good sign, because it begins to make us less dependent on oil. Because if N830 billion is coming from oil revenue and it is only 23 per cent. So, even if the price of oil goes down or up, we are not really so much vulnerable than that of the time oil revenue was accounting for 70 of our revenue. From that point of view, I believe that once we can do that, it is achievable.”
He also advised the executive to put a proper plan in place for implementing the budget now that the National Assembly is working to pass it in record time.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the Press Centre was refurbished to create a befitting working environment for journalists reporting the activities of the Senate.
He said: “We’ve been here since 1999 to the recent past when things were not done right; we are part of it.
“I was there; you were there and every other political office holder was there.
“My own view from the Eighth National Assembly is that the time for collective participation for the good of Nigerians is here with us in line with the change mantra of this administration.
“We are on the same page for things to be done differently.
“I think what we need now from stakeholders, is more of cooperation, encouragement and participation as opposed to trying to hold one person responsible for the mistakes of the past that we are part of. It is clearly not the right thing needed now.
“I appeal to you and Nigerians that we should work together, just as I assure you that we will do well here in the National Assembly to practically complement the change agenda.”
Saraki added that the National Assembly would come up with an amendment bill on the procurement process to ensure strict and transparent implementation of the N6.08 trillion 2016 budget.
He added that “before we put our signatories to it, we need to be sure of its implementability.”
The Senate president noted that if the 2016 budget was going to be realistic and successful, emphasis should be on the non-oil and independent revenue-generating sources.
He reiterated that the Eighth Senate would focus on the revenue-generating areas and to ensure that leakages are blocked.
Saraki added that though the 2016 budget proposal was ambitious, it could be achieved if all that was necessary to make it work was put in place.
Asked if the 2016 budget was implementable in view of the dwindling price of crude oil at the international market, Saraki said: “I think this is one of the reasons why we are having the MDAs defend their proposals before the committees to be able to test some of the scenarios and some of the assumptions, particularly on the revenue side. If you look at the revenue, of about N3.8 trillion, N3 trillion is coming from non-oil and independent revenue.
“The success of the budget, in my view, is less on the benchmark. It is more on those two items – non-oil revenue and independent revenue – and that is why we directed our Committee on Finance and other relevant committees to scrutinise the revenue side.
“Even the Senate leadership intends to engage the ministries as well to check those two lines, because that is where the questions come on whether it is achievable. Before we put our signatures to it, we need to be sure those funds are there.
“I believe they are ambitious but it is a good sign, because it begins to make us less dependent on oil. Because if N830 billion is coming from oil revenue and it is only 23 per cent. So, even if the price of oil goes down or up, we are not really so much vulnerable than that of the time oil revenue was accounting for 70 of our revenue. From that point of view, I believe that once we can do that, it is achievable.”
He also advised the executive to put a proper plan in place for implementing the budget now that the National Assembly is working to pass it in record time.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the Press Centre was refurbished to create a befitting working environment for journalists reporting the activities of the Senate.
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