Approved 2019 Appropriation Bill to be transmitted to Buhari for assent Thursday

Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Rep. Mustapha Dawaki, has disclosed that the National Assembly (NASS) would transmit the approved 2019 budget of N8.92 trillion to President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday.

Dawaki made this known while briefing newsmen after the House of Representatives plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Senate earlier approved the N8.916 trillion budget for the 2019 fiscal year which is N86 billion higher than the amount initially proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dawaki, however, explained that the increase in total budget from N8.83 trillion was due to the inclusion of funds for “special interventions’’ made by the National Assembly.

READ ALSO: Senate approves N8.916 trillion as 2019 budget

According to him, the interventions included the provision of N24.6 billion as severance allowance for outgoing lawmakers and N10 billion for Zamfara terrorism.

He said that the Christmas break and the general elections accounted for the delay in the passage of the budget.

“The President laid this budget on Dec. 18, 2018, but certain extraneous forces such as the Christmas and New Year breaks also affected quick passage of the Appropriation Bill.

“And, don’t forget that we had to go on break to fully participate in the February polls; all these were distractions that really affected the passage of the Appropriation Bill.

“Hopefully, by Thursday the budget will be transmitted to the president for his assent.

“We left the oil benchmark and exchange rate as sent by the executive, except for the deficit which we adjusted,’’ Dawaki said.

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