By Dipo Olowookere
All things being equal, the 2018 budget would be passed next week by the National Assembly in Nigeria, the Senate has assured.
Spokesman of the upper parliament, Mr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, informed newsmen on Monday in Abuja that if the budget was laid today, it would be passed tomorrow, Wednesday, May 9, 2018, but if laid tomorrow, it means the appropriation bill would be passed next Tuesday, May 15.
According to him, the Senate has suspended plenary for this Thursday to next week as a result of the ward congresses being conducted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Abdullahi told journalists that leadership of the parliament assured President Muhammadu Buhari at a private meeting yesterday that the appropriation bill would now be passed without delay.
On Monday, the Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, met with President Buhari on several issues including the budget, Senator Dino Melaye, killings in the country as well as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, who has refused to honour invitation of the Senate to him to answer some security questions.
After the meeting, the Senate President told newsmen that, “We came here on the invitation of the President, who briefed us about his trip to the United States and also we talked about the budget and also about the invasion of the National Assembly, which is of concern to us and he showed his great concern and that it is an embarrassment to the National Assembly and the country. He said steps will be taken to investigate the matter.
“As for the budget, we hope that it will be laid this week and if that happens, it will be passed this week or laid this week and passed early next week but we are hoping that it should be laid this week.”
The parliament had earlier fixed April 24 for the passage of the 2018 budget, but the invasion of the Senate by some thugs, who went away with its symbol of authority, the mace, stalled the passage.
Business Post reports that the 2018 Appropriation Bill was presented to the National Assembly for passage by President Buhari in November 2017.
Recall that the 2017 budget was passed by the parliament in May 2017 and was then signed into law a month later by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was then acting as President as a result of result of Mr Buhari’s long medical vacation in London then.
