Legislative Oversights and Budget Performance in Nigeria: Issues & Policy Options

Abstract

Budget implementation in Nigeria has been a burning issue since the advent of democracy in 1999. Several reasons have been adduced for the poor performance of federal government capital budgets. These include late presentation, passage, and assent to the budget; late release of funds to and poor capacity utilization of Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). But much attention has not been given to the role of legislative oversights in this regards. Consequently, this paper examines the role of legislative oversights in budget performance. Using survey method, descriptive statistics and analytical approach, the paper analyzed both primary and secondary data. The findings of the study revealed that oversight activities have increased tremendously in Nigeria since 1999, but they have not been very effective in reducing corruption and accelerating budget performance of MDAs. The paper therefore recommended policy options on how to utilize legislative oversight activities as instruments for promoting targeted budget outcomes.