By Dipo Olowookere
Senate Leader, Mr Ahmed Lawan, has disclosed that the 2017 budget should be ready next week for passage and subsequently for assent by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Addressing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, Mr Lawan said the budget summited to the National Assembly by President Buhari last December would have been ready in March 2017, but “certain things” prevented such from happening.
He said further that the legislature had also made efforts to pass the 2017 appropriation bill before the end of April, but the raid of the Abuja residence of Senator Danjuma Goje, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, caused another setback.
The Senate Leader said since the budget documents have been returned to Mr Goje by the police, all would be done to make the appropriation bill ready next week.
“We could not make the 2017 budget ready before the end of April because of what recently happened, which many of you are aware of and by the time the documents were returned by the police, we have lost a lot time.
“You have to consider the trauma the victim, who happens to be the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations (Mr Goje) went through.
“But I believe that by the grace of God, next week, we should pass the budget to Mr President for his assent,” Mr Lawan told journalists after a private meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday.
