Emerging report indicates that President Muhammadu Buhari, last night, met with the leaders of the National Assembly, ahead of the presentation of the 2018 budget proposals to the Lawmakers.
The President earlier planned to host a dinner for the Principal Officers, but the Lawmakers turned back from the Pilot Gate of the Presidential Villa in anger, after security men insisted on subjecting them to individual screening.
The dinner was scheduled to hold at 8:30 pm inside the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, with Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and other top officials of the Presidency.
Sources revealed that the dinner was meant to lobby the Lawmakers, to quickly pass the 2019 budget when it finally gets to them.
A Presidency source revealed that the presentation of the 2018 budget proposals to the National Assembly, would be delayed until next month.
The source said the Presidency would make an announcement next week, on the date for the budget presentation before a joint session of the National Assembly.
It was further gathered that the Presidency had set for itself up to the end of this month, to present the budget proposals to the Federal Legislature, but that is no longer feasible.
“Budget presentation to them (National Assembly) will be delayed. An announcement will be made next Tuesday, on the date for the presentation. You know there is a lot of work to do, so it is not something that we will rush”, the source said.
The Federal Executive Council, FEC, earlier approved the budget proposals.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, who briefed State House Correspondents after the cabinet meeting chaired by President Buhari, refused to give the details of the draft budget approved.
“It is the President’s prerogative to submit the budget, submit the proposals, and give the details. I will be operating above my brief, if I do that. The Constitution gives that authority to the President”, Udoma said.
The Minister reassured that the Executive would fulfill its promise of getting the budget proposals ready, in October.
“We are liaising with the National Assembly, because they have to approve the date for the President to come and address them to submit the budget.
“Before now, we used to submit in December, but now the budget is ready in October, so there is a very big difference,” Udoma noted.
The Ministry of Budget and National Planning, also said it is optimistic the 2018 budget will run a January-December cycle.
He stated that the Presidency, the Ministries, and leadership of the National Assembly, were determined to return Nigeria to the January-December budget cycle.
He noted that the performance of last year’s budget, will only be ascertained after the monitoring and evaluation of the budget which the Ministry, through the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, is in charge of.
“She (the Minister) is not in the country, but by the time she comes back, we will start working on that, and can give you exactly what the performance is”, he added.
Like Us on Facebook!
Do You Need a Sugar Mummy, Sugar Daddy, Girlfriend, Boyfriend Wife or Husband? If Yes, Then Click Here For Details
0 comments:
Post a Comment