- Senate President Bukola Saraki has spoken on the 2018 budget
- Saraki said if 2017 budget items are not rolled over to 2018 that is a disaster
- He, however, urged the executives to show seriousness toward the budget process
Senators are said to delay the passage of the 2018 budget for three months because of poor implementation of capital component of the 2017 budget and non cooperative attitude of heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Daily Trust reports that the move to delay the fiscal document was let out at the end of an executive session that was held on Tuesday, December 19.
Senate President Bukola Saraki that presided by the session spoke on what transpired appealed to his colleagues to work with available documents for the quick passage of the budget.
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Saraki said: ''The Senate in the closed session deliberated on issues on Appropriation of 2018. If 2017 budget items are not rolled over to 2018 that is a disaster, it means that most of them are misrepresenting the actual grounds to the leadership of the executive.
''If the documents are not showing that then that is a serious problem. Let the executive show some seriousness toward the budget process.''
The deputy leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi) said the two weeks budget defence had shown that the December target for the passage of the 2018 budget was not realistic.
According to Na’Allah, ''With the reports we have received so far, it is obvious that we have problems, it is important we lay this problem bare in the face of Nigerians so that people will understand what the peculiarities are and what the difficulties are.
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''The president has made it clear that more than 60 per cent of what was proposed in the 2017 budget will be carried over to the 2018 budget. The report we have received so far is showing that nothing like that has happened.
''We have a responsibility to look at that and then explain the situation, so that we can have a better understanding of where we are going to proceed and then our commitment to bring this budget as early as possible.''
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that Nigerian senators lambasted members of the executive arm of government over their attitudes towards the 2018 Budget.
The senators took turns today, Tuesday, December 19, during plenary to complain about the difficulties they have encountered working with the executive on the 2018 Budget.
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Source: Naija.ng
ROSY CREST
Wednesday, 20 December 2017