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Senate Postpones Passage Of 2016 Budget To Next Week

The Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, on Thursday said the National Assembly will pass the 2016 Budget next week. “We are here to let you … Continue reading Senate Postpones Passage Of 2016 Budget To Next Week


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SenateThe Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, on Thursday said the National Assembly will pass the 2016 Budget next week.

“We are here to let you know that as of today, we are unable to lay the 2016 Appropriation Bill and thus, we are hoping next week that process will be completed.

“When I briefed you, I recalled you were asking if the passage will be completed by next week; and, we said ‘yes’ when you lay the budget the next thing is for you to discuss the budget and get it passed.

“The two activities will be carried out next week God willing”, he said.

Briefing journalists, the Senate spokesman explained that the National Assembly was unable to pass the 2016 Budget this week as planned because the appropriation committees are trying to make sure that there are no errors in the budget.

“As far as we are concerned, we have not failed. What is happening is the seriousness with which we take the 2016 Appropriation.

“It’s such that we cannot also afford to make errors that will become very costly to this nation.

“We have finished all necessary work within the context of the various committees. But remember, when you do the paper work, you have to also get people who will sit down and check.

“That is what we call data cleansing and integration; that is the two appropriation committees must integrate, that is the essence of what you call harmonization,” he maintained.

He added that the National Assembly was trying not to do the work in a haste and also make mistakes which was why the `data cleansing’ had to be done without haste.

“In everything you do, you must give freedom for degree of error. And, plus or minus, five is the basic standard that I’m aware of.

“Within this context, if next week we will be able to take this, then within that margin of error, the National Assembly is still on course.

“We call on Nigerians to understand that we are as eager as you to get this budget out but at the same time, we owe you a duty to ensure that the budget will be implementable,” Mr. Sabi said.

Senator Abdullahi assured that the national assembly would pass a budget which would meet the aspirations of Nigerians.