As the Transitional National Legislature (TNL) passed the 2024/2025 Fiscal Budget to the tune of SSP 4.2 Trillion, parliamentarians have called on the finance ministry to draft a supplementary budget amounting to SSP 695 Billion as soon as the export of Dar Blend crude oil from blocks 3 and 5 resumes.
The request for a supplementary budget followed the scrutiny of the 2024/25 SSP 4.1 Trillion budget by the relevant committees which discovered an SSP 1.9 trillion deficit, which amounts to 46 percent of the budget.
Addressing the House on Monday during the passing of the budget, Michael Ayuen Johnson, the chairperson of the Specialized Committee on Finance and Planning, said with implementation of the SSP 695 Billion supplementary budget, will bring the deficit to a total of 2.6 Trillion, amounting to 63 percent of the total budget.
“The FY 2024/2025 budget has a deficit of SSP 1.4 Trillion and the new request by clusters stands at the tune of 695.4 billion, furthermore, the implication of the new request will increase the deficit to the tune of SSP 2.6 trillion,” he stated. “The house urges the Ministry of Finance and Planning to consider the request made by the clusters in the form of a supplementary budget when production of Dar Blend in blocks 3 and 5 resumes.”
According to Ayuen, the proposed supplementary budget will cater to all domestic arrears including 11 months’ salary arrears for civil servants and organized forces.
Additionally, lawmakers stressed the need for the government to adhere to the fiscal budget presentation timelines in May each year per the Public Financial Management and Accountability Act.
According to the 2024/2025 budget, the government focused on agricultural sector development and investment in critical infrastructure. The Ministry of Finance assured the government’s commitment to prioritize financial allocation to these important sectors, which in the medium to long term, will stimulate domestic productivity, self-sufficiency, and economic growth.
Meanwhile, Gai Mayen Lok, an MP representing Yirol East County in Lakes State on the SPLM-IO ticket, stressed that institutions responsible for the conduct of elections in 2026 should not be deprived of their resources.
“I think the National Constitutional Review Commission and National Bureau of Statistics should not be deprived of these allocations because their work starts in annexes,” he said. “The National Bureau of Statistics requires a minimum of sixteen months to deliver the population census. So, you should start now and therefore give them resources.”
For his part, Kom Kom Geng, the Chairperson of the Committee for National Security, said the security budget requires some addition to ensure effective maintenance before, during, and after the elections.
Despite being allocated SSP 238 Billion, Geng said the security sector which is responsible for providing safety for the citizens during the elections, has been neglected in the current budget and should be reconsidered in the supplementary budget.
“I do appreciate the allocations that were given to the spending agencies, however, when you talk about elections for example, can you do elections in an environment where there is rampant insecurity?” he questioned.