Saraki gives committee Thursday deadline to submit budget report

Senate President Bukola Saraki on Tuesday gave the
Appropriations Committee till Thursday to submit the 2019 budget
report.

Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Sunny Ogbuoji
told the Senate that only 24 out of 61 sub-committees had submitted
their reports.

Saraki insisted that the budget report must be presented on
Thursday, April 11 ahead of the April 16 approval of the money
bill.

The Senate President noted the Appropriations committee will be
forced to use Executive submissions if the sub-committees fail to
submit their reports to the Committee by Wednesday.

Saraki said, “It is unfortunate that only 24 committees have
submitted their reports. Last week, we all took a decision here
that we are not going to waiver on our position. Our position is
very clear: that all committees should submit (their budget
reports). And those that don’t submit, then the Appropriations
Committee should use the Executive submission.

“That position is still where we are. And I want to appeal to
all our committees that you really have just till tomorrow
(Wednesday) to make sure that your reports get to the
Appropriations Committee because Thursday, you must lay this
report.

“Vice Chairman of Appropriations Committee, if you don’t get
report from our committees by tomorrow (Wednesday), then you just
use the submission of the Executive. But come Thursday, you must
lay that report.”
President Buhari presented the N8.83 trillion budget proposal to a
joint session of the National Assembly on December 19, 2018.