The relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government should be seen as more of a division of labour than being mutually independent, the senator representing Ekiti South, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, has said.
Adeyeye told journalists in Abuja that there was need for constant collaboration and cooperation between the two arms of government for the betterment of Nigerians.
He said it was imperative that during budget preparation process, the relevant government agencies work with the committees of the National Assembly for efficiency and effectiveness.
“I think that we should have a system whereby the budget is presented in October, and by the first or second week of December, it is passed. And by January, the executive can start implementation and have one full year to implement. This way, you’ll see that there will be more rapid economic development. Things will move faster,” he said.
“There should be collaboration and cooperation. I don’t see anything wrong even in the process of formulating the budget that the ministries invite the relevant committees of the National Assembly for meetings so that both of them can brainstorm, even on the process of writing the budget.
“If you collaborate at that early stage, there won’t be problem. This issue of separation of powers, I see it more as a division of labour. By the time the budget is presented to the National Assembly, the budget approval process will just be a formality.
“We can’t afford any acrimony between the executive and the legislature. What Nigerians want is to see things work. Let’s work together to make the budget a real budget so that by January 2, implementation can start.
“The oversight function of the National Assembly should also be seen as part of the collaboration. Oversight shouldn’t be seen as a master-servant relationship,” he added.
