CHAIRMAN of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, Danjuma Goje, said yesterday the Upper Legistative Chamber would pass the 2016 national budget on February 25.
The Senate concluded week-long debate on the budget yesterday. It suspended plenary to allow the standing committees of the Red Chamber fine-tune the document while summoning the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to come forward and defend their estimates. They have two weeks to do so.
Briefing reporters after plenary, Senator Goje re-echoed the earlier position of the Senate leadership to pass the budget on February 25.
“The Senate has just concluded the debate on the general principles of the 2016 budget and has been referred to Appropriation Committee for necessary action,” Goje said, adding that, “the committee will send circulars to all other committees which are seen as sub-committees.”
Goje said: “The committees are expected to commence public hearing on the budget from various departments and agencies immediately. Two weeks from tomorrow (today) will be devoted for budget defence. That is till February 11.
“The next process will be concluded on February 18 and that will be handled by the Appropriation Committee. We are expected to lay our committee report of the budget on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. The Senate will pass it on Thursday, February 25, 2016.
“This will give the Federal Government 10-month period to implement the budget. We want a departure from the past where implementation is delayed. This is a government of change and we want to do things differently.
“Plenary will be suspended for two weeks to allow for committees to meet with the various government agencies,” he said.
According to a breakdown of the timetable, the meeting of sub-committees on Appropriation with MDAs will take place from today, January 28 till February 11.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has hailed the smooth consideration of the 2016 budget and its passage for Second Reading.
Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, told correspondents that President Muhammadu Buhari was pleased with the bipartisan consideration of the budget.
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