The Legislature and the Budget Process: A Case Study of Borno State House of Assembly

Abstract

This study “The Legislature and the Budget Process: A Case Study of Borno State House of Assembly”, was designed to assess the impact of the role of Borno State House of Assembly in the budget process. Thus, while the study acknowledges the constitutional/legal premise of the legislative powers and control over public funds, it however, examined the extent of the performance of this constitutional mandate by the Borno State House of Assembly, identified factors militating against the Assembly budget process, as well as suggested strategies that would mitigate the challenges confronting it in the budget process. The study adopted the Survey Research Design, using the simple random sampling technique. Since the study is descriptive, quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used. The simple random sampling was used to select respondents which provided the primary data, while secondary data were taken from published materials such as, journals, books, etc. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 16.0) and the content analysis were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Analysis of the findings showed that the budget role of the Borno State House of Assembly is premised on the provisions of CFRN (1999, Section 120) and the Standing Order of the Borno State House of Assembly (Order XII Rule 84 (3)). Specifically, the study noted the roles of the Assembly in the areas of budget analysis, Committee amendment, and conduct of budget hearing, among others. However, executive-legislative rift, godfather factor, inadequate research capacity for lawmakers and committees, etc., were identified as impediments to the effectiveness of Borno State House of Assembly in the budget process. To enhance the role of Borno State House of Assembly in the budget process, the study suggested among others: designing an appropriate follow-up mechanism on audit reports, encouraging the independence of audit institutions, and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of executive drafts.