Politics
Senate to commence budget debate next week
President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, has revealed that the upper legislative chamber will begin the consideration of the general principles of the 2018 budget next week.
Making the announcement on Thursday, at the commencement of the day’s legislative business, Saraki called on his colleagues who intend to make contributions to write their names.
He said the debate will commence on Wednesday, 22nd of November and end on Thursday, November 22rd. After the debate, the budget will be referred to the Senate committee on Appropriation, headed by Senator Danjuma Goje.
He said: “Copies of the budget will be made available to everyone. Lawmakers who want to contribute can put their names down. The debate will be on the 22nd and 23rd of November. That is Wednesday and Thursday next week. Please, ensure that you put your names down.”
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Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, who briefed newsmen soon after the announcement, said copies of the budget are currently being mass-produced.
Sabi revealed that lawmakers were yet to be given the copies. He however added that copies will be made available to lawmakers before the commencement of the planned debate.
He also spoke on the non-passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) by the National Assembly, as a prerequisite before the presentation of the budget.
He said the MTEF/FSP will be considered alongside the budget. Although the constitution recommends that MTEF/FSP should be passed before the budget is presented, Sabi said the executive did not err in presenting the documents late.
Sabi told newsmen: “They are already producing copies of the 2018 budget. The President submitted two copies. He submitted one to the House of Representatives and one to the Senate. It is a voluminous document and they are mass producing it right now.
“By next week, lawmakers will have the documents and the debate will commence. MTEF and the budget are intertwined. They will all be presented. They are working on the budget.”
President Muhammadu Buhari presented a budget estimate of over N8 trillion last week Tuesday to a joint session of the National Assembly.
By Ehhisuan Odia…
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yanju omotodun
November 16, 2017 at 11:55 am
They should better dont delay the passage unlike 2017
Anita Kingsley
November 16, 2017 at 5:05 pm
That’s where the main issue is, if this budget gets delayed like the 2017, that means Nigeria’s spending will officially start whenever the president finally accent it, may be March or April and this will destabilize the country’s calendar
seyi jelili
November 17, 2017 at 5:30 am
This one was submitted early enough, so any delay means that our lawmakers are useless and know not what they are doing.
Abeni Adebisi
November 16, 2017 at 4:50 pm
“Lawmakers who want to contribute can put their names down,” this is the 2018 budget for the Federal Republic of Nigeria we’re talking about! All lawmaker should be compelled to participate in the debate not just those who are interested
Animashaun Ayodeji
November 16, 2017 at 4:55 pm
Easy madam, all lawmakers will definitely participate, this is a national issue, no lawmaker will want to be exempted in the debate.
Animashaun Ayodeji
November 16, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Two days is a little bit too small for debate, they really need to take their time to debate on the budget so as to trash out all errors and inadequacies contained in it
JOHNSON PETER
November 17, 2017 at 4:27 am
You are a novice, two days sitting doesn’t mean they are approving it within two days, they will still pass it to budget committee who will sit and cogitate on it for long before the final vetting