Reps optimistic 2016 budget will be passed Thursday

The lower legislative chamber has assured that the 2016 budget will be passed by 17th March.

Giving this assurance on Sunday was the  Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Abdulrasak Namdaz.

Namdaz, in a response to enquiries by Ripples Nigeria said: “We’re working towards the date.”

Following the inconsistencies discovered in the budget by the National Assembly and the subsequent confusion that trailed budget defence sessions by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, policy analysts had suggested the need for profound scrutiny of the budget proposals from the executive.

Read also: Buhari hammers 184 top officials over budget padding

However, chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje and Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumin, in a joint press briefing, had assured Nigerians that reports from both chambers on the 2016 budget would be laid on Wednesday, March 16 and that on the 17th, the budget would be considered and passed.

Goje, in a joint briefing on March 3rd, had said the various sub committees of the two chambers have interacted with MDAs and submitted their reports.
According to him, there was no reason not to meet the 17th March proposed deadline  for the passage of the budget. This was also confirmed by the his House of Representatives counterpart,  Hon. Abdulmumin.

Abdulmumin said: “After consultations with the leadership of the House and Senate, we can confirm to you that all things being equal, we should be able to lay our report on the 2016 Appropriation bill before the House and the Senate on the 16th of March and the consideration, hopefully should be done on the 17th.

“So it is safe for us to conclude that the 2016 Appropriation bill will be passed on the 17th of March 2016.”

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