The Government of Anambra State has concluded plans to present the 2021 budget to the Anambra State House of Assembly on Thursday 22nd October, 2020. This will be the last budget of the administration of Governor Willie Obinao considering that he will be handing over to a successor in March, 2022. Very clearly, the budget of 2022 is going to be a subject of intense politicizations wherein the incoming governor and the outgoing governor will do their best, to be in full control of the budget by deploying every scheme within their reach to get the House consider and pass the budget. Under the scenario, the House of Assembly is most likely to cooperate with the incoming governor and therefore likely delay the budget even if it is submitted by the outgoing governor, till the new governor is sworn-in in March.
This was the situation in 2014 when the Anambra state 2014 budget was delayed by the House until Governor Obiano was sworn-in and before the budget was considered and passed by the House of Assembly. As should be expected, the incoming governor will be eager to make a point through his first budget and the outgoing governor will just want to make one more final mark with the budget. The House of Assembly will simply play by its own interest. The new governor will be instrumental for the return of many of them for another term in the House or further political pursuits. The fact is, governance and even government revolves around approved budget by the legislature. There is no free money in government. Even stolen funds and misappropriated funds are budgeted.
For the 2021 Anambra state budget, it has not be disclosed what trajectory the budget will go, in terms of its defining message as there are fillers that the executive has not yet taken final decision on the budget title. Although the Anambra state 2021 budget was supposed to be presented to the House of Assembly last week, but due to certain considerations one of which is that the house was on recess and only resumed last week. The development has enabled the executive to do extra work on the budget in a bid to make it more beneficial to the people of Anambra state.
Although the administration of Governor Willie Obiano is predicated on three ‘C’s of complete, commission and commence; in simple terms, complete projects started by his predecessor, commission them and commence new projects. This in all fairness has been done, in parts, by the Obiano led government, though not as vigorous and as aggressive as the expectations of the people of Anambra state may be. Importantly, whatever may be left undone, can only be achieved with the 2021 budget. Therefore, the Anambra state 2021 budget is the most critical budget for the governor Obiano’s administration because, what evaluation, analysis and assessment that is left to be made will be decided by the 2021 budget performance. Simply put, the 2021 Anambra state budget is the final arbiter of the Obiano administration.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has not made it any easy, even though the government remains inexcusable on the basis of COVID-19 pandemic economic crisis. However, if there is a time to complete some more projects from the Peter Obi’s era, it is now. If there is a time to commission completed projects, it is now. As certain as you can guess, now is also the best time to commence new projects and possibly commission some signature projects the administration will place on record for the sake of posterity. Beyond being the best time, it is the only time left for the administration, realistically.
Whatever direction the 2021 Anambra state budget takes, it is not clear if the officials of the government realize how critical the budget is in defining the administration of Governor Willie Obiano. This budget is expected to remove every veil, and benefit of the doubt usually accorded governments in analysis of their performance till the end of their administration. Effectively the 2021 fiscal year is the end of governor Obiano’s administration and whatsoever the administration could not do with the budget, it is unlikely the administration will ever do, given the reality that the 2022 budget is not going to be in control of the outgoing administration.
As for the Anambra State House of Assembly, it is anticipated that they will perform their oversight on the budget that is expected to be submitted this Thursday and may be by the second week of November pass the budget into law, if due political balance is reached with the executive, as it is customary. But ahead of the 2022 budget, the Anambra state 7th House of Assembly is the beautiful bride and if they understand their place, the budget consideration and passage is a formidable political tool they ought to deploy both in their own interest and in the interest of the people of Anambra state.
In any case, for now, the government of Anambra state led by Chief Willie Obiano must consider giving the 2021 Anambra state budget what should rightly be considered as the final push, with every energy, zeal and commitment. It must not be the routine. The government must construe this exercise as its final opportunity to determine its own place in history.
He is a Technical Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano’s Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, whoonce was a Special Adviser to a former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly. Ebuka is a second class upper division graduate of Political Science from University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science with specialization in Government and Development Studies, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
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