Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, is set to receive the 2017 budget from the National Assembly today. The Legal Department of the National Assembly has concluded its work on the budget and plans to send it to the Presidency on Wednesday morning.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Abdulrahman Kawu, confirmed that the office was expecting the budget today. “It is Wednesday (today); at least, that was what I was told. So, we wait and see,” he added.
Some issues relating to some sub-heads in the budget of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing were allegedly responsible for the delay.
“Some changes were made. They cut funds from some allocations by the executive and they added to other sub-heads. “This will affect the implementation of the projects on these sub-heads,” one official said.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, on Tuesday, said the budget was still undergoing legislative processes.
Sabi-Abdullahi stated, “If you are familiar with our procedures, you will see that the budget always carries some signatures.
“So, the two chairmen (of Committee on Appropriations) of the two chambers have to do that. And when they do that, it will be transmitted to the Clerk to the National Assembly, who will make sure that he also puts in his administrative process to form the document to the Presidency.
“The fact that we have approved it does not amount to the fact that it will move straight to the Presidency. Whichever way it goes, those who are responsible for processing this document have been doing that ever since we passed it. Any moment from now, either today or at most, tomorrow, they should be able to transmit it to the Presidency.”
