Again, senate shifts date of Budget 2016 passage

The senate has revealed that the Thursday deadline fixed for the passage of the 2016 budget was no longer feasible.

Abdullahi Sabi, chairman, senate committee on media and public affairs, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists on Wednesday.

Shabi said necessary work had been done on the budget to get it passed, but it would be laid on Thursday for further legislative actions which would last for days.

‎”I want to assure Nigerians that the 2016 budget will be laid in the senate chamber as promised by the chairman of the appropriation committee,” he said.‎

“With that the other processes that will take place, we will surely ensure that we meet up with the time as promised. So I want to put to rest any suspicion.

“Tomorrow, we are laying the budget which tells you that all the work that has to be done is done. Yes we told you that it should be passed by tomorrow, we will discuss it take clause by clause and give it that loud voice to say it’s ready.

‎”When you set a target, it is to allow you work hard to achieve the budget. By laying the budget is as good as passing the budget. I think we have done very well to get the budget laid by tomorrow.

‎”We drive the key policies of this government. To ensure there are job creations, small and medium enterprises will be empowered etc. When a budget is laid, the other things are just mere processes.‎”

President Muhammadu Buhari laid the budget before a joint session of the national assembly in December.

However, it became a subject of controversy one month later, owing to the lapses it had.