While passing the 2016 Appropriation Bill, the senate also reduced the budget size from the initial N6.077trn presented to the federal parliament by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 23, 2015, to N6.060trn, a difference of N17bn.
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The report is said to have been presented at the floor of the upper chamber by Senator Danjuma Goje, Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, with Senator Aliyu Wamakko, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, confirming that the budget would be considered today.
“We have perfected necessary arrangements to ensure that the budget is considered and passed before we proceed on recess tomorrow (Wednesday)”, Wamakko said.
It was the first time since 1999 that the National Assembly would approve a figure lower than proposed by the executive, John Enoh, who heads the senate finance committee, said.
The committee chairman told the Senate that they observed that the available revenue for appropriation was grossly inadequate to meet the huge demand of MDAs to prosecute needed programmes for national development across all spheres in the economy.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen.
Goje on his part expressed firm belief that the 2016 budget would serve Nigerians, while urging Senators to consider it in the interest of Nigerians. Recall that the Senate deferred the passage of the Budget last week Thursday, citing reasons of errors detected in the document.
The Senate then moved for the third and final reading of the Appropriation Bill SB.
The same procedure played out in the House of Representatives.
Soon after the presentation, fireworks followed, the polity became charged with allegations of budget padding, double or multiple subheads for the same items, leading to adjustments in the estimates and a mass purge of staff at the Budget office for allegedly “messing up” the estimates to embarrass the president.
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However, it is one thing for the budget to be approved by the President it is quite another thing for the executive to implement the budget, as envisaged by the federal lawmakers.
