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Lawan promises that Senate under him will pass the budget in 3 months

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APC senators use majority advantage to block motion on Buhari’s Democracy Day speech

President of the 9th Senate, Ahmed Lawan, on Friday suggested that the issue of appropriation bill staying long with lawmakers before its passage will be a thing of the past under his leadership.

Lawan, who emerged President of the Senate on Tuesday, said that the country’s annual budget will not stay longer than three months without passage under him.

President Muhammadu Buhari, and the leadership of the 8th National Assembly, Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, had constantly blamed each other over which arm of government, between the executive and the legislature was the cause of late budget passage between 2015 to 2019.

No year within those periods was the annual budget passed in less than five months after the executive had submitted it to the legislative arm.

But Lawan, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja after Juma’at prayer at the State House, said those days are over under his leadership.

He said all that is needed to actualise the target is for the executive and the legislature to cooperate and work together harmoniously.

According to the new Senate President, in a situation the budget is presented to the lawmakers in September ending, or early October, deliberations and its passage would be done before December break.

READ ALSO: Supreme Court sacks APC senator

MDAs have often been blamed for late passage of the budget, but Lawan said a month would be set aside for them to defend their budgets, adding that the Senate under him would not tolerate any delay by MDAs.

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