The House of Representatives today said it is not prepared to receive the 2013 budget that was to be presented by President Goodluck Jonathan on the October 4, 2012.
The House in a unanimous decision on Thursday, agreed that it would be violating provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, if it receives the 2013 budget when the 2013-2015 medium term expenditure frameworks on which the budget should be premised had not been approved.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance had applied for an extension to allow the House complete its work on the medium term expenditure framework.
An appeal the Speaker of the House granted, even as he explained that the House will be suspending plenary for one week to enable its standing committees embark on physical inspection of capital projects in the 2012 budget across the country.
The Chairman of the House Committee on media, Honourable Zakari Mohammed was more emphatic about the lawmakers’ decision, saying, the date chosen by the president was “unrealistic”.
