The last has not been heard of the 2016 budget submitted to the senate by the presidency some weeks back. The assertion on the street is that, the budgets is missing and that the President submitted an empty box. On this confusion, majority of the stake holders are speaking up.
The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, confirmed that, there exist different and contradicting versions of the budget. The Senate President, who revealed this after a closed-door session, said the version made available to the Senate was different from the original copy presented by the President in December last year.
“What he distributed is different from what was presented by Mr. President and we have resolved not to address any version until we receive the version presented by Mr. President,” Saraki said as he insisted that the Senate will only accept the version of the 2016 Appropriation Bill that was presented by the President on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015 to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The Senate President however said lawmakers will begin debate on the 2016 Appropriation Bill next Tuesday.
This was confirmed when Premium Times spoke with A Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly (House of Representatives) to President Muhammadu Buhari, Sumaila Kawu, on Thursday. He said said the president would make some adjustments to the 2016 Budget proposal. “We made a proposal of $38 per barrel, now it’s $27; so there must be adjustment.
“If in the process of the budgeting period, the National Assembly or the Executive discovers anything not practicable or deserving adjustment, then it will be amended. Budget is always subject to amendment.
“You can’t foreclose any amendment. We must amend. Even without dwindling oil revenue, the budget must be amended. It is a man-made document, therefore there must be an amendment,” he said.
With what the Senate President has said, The President is vindicated. it means so people tampered with the 2016 and not the President!
