Splitting budget planning from finance ministry risky – Ezekwesili

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A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, says the splitting of budget planning from the control of the Ministry of Finance by President Muhammadu Buhari has grave implications.

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, inaugurated the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma as the Minister of Budget and National Planning.

But the former minister, in a series of tweets on her official Twitter handle on Wednesday, said separating the two ministries was one of the risks to watch out for in the new dispensation.

Ezekwesili said in countries where budget and finance were managed separately, it took the professional maturity of the two ministers to get anything done.

According to her, the Ministry of National Planning as presently constituted by the Buhari government might not have the required skills needed for “the kind of strategic budgeting required.”

She said, “A minister of finance without control of the tool of budget can be hampered in managing the fiscal imperatives of the economy. Seeing that budget has been moved out of the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of National Planning, there are some downsides and upshots. We have to watch out for more of the downsides.

“The movement of the Ministry of National Planning away from the Ministry of Finance is one risk to watch out for in the new structure of ministries. National planning has been rather anachronistic. With these new persons’ as managers of the budget, they need to overhaul and renew.”

Ezekwesili asked Nigerian to do effective engagement in policy debates across the sectors.

She commended President Buhari for appointing Chief Audu Ogbeh as the Minister of Agriculture, adding that the President was wise not to have wasted the skills of Ogbeh by putting him in a ministry where his skills might not be brought to the fore.

The former minister also advised the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, to make the ministry a driver of knowledge for economic development.

She added, “President Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu, should bite the bullet and overhaul the distorted oil sector. Is it going to be easy (for the ministers)? A big no! Am I optimistic? Yes. Why? Some of the great assigning of talents can pull the rest up.

“The combination of Kemi Adeosun and Okey Enelamah in the Ministry of Finance must urgently face the humongous task of reversing the decline in economic growth. They will engage in structural transformation of the economy for job creation and economic growth.

“The best thing for Nigerian citizens to be doing at this time is to set up tools for effective engagement in policy debates across sectors of best interest. I pray that Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu will finally get our science and technology ministry as a knowledge driver for economic development.”

Source: Punch