2017 BUDGET : Senate, House disagree on early passage

The hope of having the 2017 budget ready for President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent by first week of May may not materialize as conflict between the Senate and the House of Representatives has continued to play out against that.

On two occasions, it was learnt, the idea of having the budget committees of both parliaments meet to reconcile differences in their papers were put off without reasons other than that the face off between the executive and the legislators was at play.

The 2017 Appropriation Bill of N7. 8 trillion was presented to the National Assembly by Buhari on November 2016 with promises from the parliamentarians to facilitate quicker passage, unlike that of 2016.

Though the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, said on Thursday that the National Assembly would ensure that the budget is ready for next week, other indications prove him wrong.

“All things being equal, the budget will be on President’s table on or before the first week of May”, Lawan said.

However, investigation has indicated that the readiness of the budget might take another three weeks to agree differences by the two chambers in a formal session of reconciliation for issues bordering on the document.

But addressing newsmen at the State House after meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Lawan explained that the Senate could not pass the budget in March as intended due to some parameters beyond its control.

However, the House of Representatives said there is nothing on ground to prove that the budget would be so ready.

Hon. Abdulrazaq Namdas, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the House had not changed its earlier decision, demanding for the release of the budget-related documents.

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