Lawan: We’re hungry, thirsty to receive 2020 budget proposal

Senate President Ahmad Lawan says the national assembly is “hungry and thirsty” to receive the 2020 appropriation bill from the executive.

Lawan said this on Friday while speaking with journalists in Abuja upon his return from Morocco and Germany.

The senate president said the national assembly is already in receipt of the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and fiscal strategy paper (FSP).

“We are hopeful and optimistic, as well as hungry and thirsty, to receive the 2020 appropriations bill,” he said.

“I am aware that the executive arm of government is working assiduously to ensure that the appropriation bill for the year 2020 is presented to the National Assembly by the end of this month.

“The national assembly will work so hard to ensure that the 2020 budget is passed before we go on Christmas break.

“We hope to take on the MTEF within the first legislative week. Our committee on Finance will be saddled with its first major responsibility that it works expeditiously on the Fiscal Strategy Paper/Medium Term Expenditure Framework’s request of the executive arm of government and thereafter the budget will come after that.”

Lawan said the national assembly would work with the executive to tackle insecurity in the country.

“In the eighth senate, we had an ad hoc committee that I was privileged to chair, to review the security architecture of the country,” he said.

“We are going to look into that report, and in addition, other contemporary issues that affect security in the country. We are also going to look into the crisis that affected Nigerians living in South Africa.

“You recall that this issue was reviewed before we went on recess. The Senate felt as an institution that our citizens’ diplomacy must be protected wherever they go in the world.”