Buhari ‘still in the dark’ about passed budget

The national assembly is yet to release details of the 2016 budget to President Muhammadu Buhari, a presidency source who did not want to be named has confirmed to TheCable.

The source said the parliament only sent highlights of the appropriation bill to the president, who is “still in the dark” about details of the document.

Buhari is said to be worried by the development, as it is capable of delaying his assent to the bill.

“The president has been handicapped because he does not know what is contained in the details and what adjustments the national assembly must have made to the proposal sent to them,” the source said. ‎

“Although he is anxious to sign the document so that implementation of the provisions could start immediately and ease the tension in the economy and polity, he is afraid he may later discover, when the details are sent, that what is contained therein is not implementable. He wants the national assembly to send in the details speedily so that it could be considered for assent.”

The source confirmed that the ministers were also eager for the president to sign the budget, seeing that the first quarter of the year is almost gone without any activity.

“Ministers want the budgets passed so that they can start the implementation of their programmes,” the source said.

The budget, which was presented to the national assembly in December, was one of the most controversial in the history of the country.

Apart from the issues of padding, the national assembly kept postponing its passage until last week.

Presenting a report on the budget when it was passed, Danjuma Goje, chairman senate committee on appropriation, acknowledged that the budget was “full of controversy”, but that the senate would not want to delay its passage by “adding more controversies to it”.

The budget proposal presented to a joint session of the national assembly was N6.07 trillion. A total of N351 billion was for statutory transfers, N2.8 trillion for recurrent expenditure and N1. 8 trillion for capital expenditure.

However, the lawmakers cut it by N17 billion, approving N6.06 trillion.