President Muhammadu Buhari is slated to present the 2019 budget of N8.7 trillion before the joint session of the National Assembly by Wednesday as some House of Reps. Members threaten boycott. The president proposed Wednesday of next week in his letter read by Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House.
Reacting to the letter, some member of the House frowned at remarks made by Udo Udoma, Minister of budget captured by some section of media yesterday as offensive of the National Assembly.
The Minister was quoted to have said the legislators were delaying the budget presentation. Although there has been frosty relationship between the legislative and the executive in some couple of months back.
Referring Order 6, Rule 14 of the House Standing Orders, Abubakar Adamu ( APC Niger) suggested that the House demand urgent, unreserved and public apology from Udoma otherwise Mr, President would not be welcomed at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
He added, “The Minister lied and painted the National Assembly in bad light as irresponsible institution. “We are not irresponsible people Mr. Speaker, contrary to the Minister’s portrayal. Therefore, the Minister should apologise otherwise Mr, president will meet an empty House, and he threatened.
Other lawmakers sided Adamu’s position, Rotimi Agunsoye (APC Lagos) moved that the House should sermon Udoma. Mark Gbilla (APC Benue) also posited that the Minister lied, and therefore demanded a formal apology from the Minister.
“It is no longer a hidden fact that the executive arm of government has always portrayed us as thieves.
“Anywhere we go, people say look at thieves coming, as if we are the ones responsible for delaying the budget or even causing Nigeria’s problems.”
An effort by Femi Gbajamiamila (APC Lagos) to prevail on his colleagues were refused with “No, No, No”
Mr, President Letter was not read on the red chamber yesterday, as the planery was presided over by Ike Ekwerenmadu.
However, when a former senate leader Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC Borno) told Daily trust that he believed his colleagues at the senate would welcome the president on Wednesday.
According to Ndume, his stand is that they’ll be ready to usher Mr, president. We’ll prevail on our colleagues that the issue of national budget is not something to toy with.
Members of the National Assembly are expected to proceed on their Christmas and New Year break between December19 and 20 of these months.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on October 24 approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for the 2019 -2021 to provide template for the 2019 budget.
The session, presided over Mr, Buhari approved a budget estimate of N8.73tr for the 2019 budget, N400bn lower than that of this year.
Crude oil per barrel price was fixed at $60, while exchange rate at $305, daily crude oil production was pegged at 2.3m by the FEC. Meanwhile, the federal legislature is yet to approve MTEF/FSP.
President Muhammadu Buhari during his first year in office presented 2016 budget on December 22, 2015. After its passage, he assented to it on May 6, 2016.
The following year, 2016, the president laid before the lawmakers the 2017 budget on December 14 and signed it on June 12, 2017.
