Buhari still awaiting 2016 Budget details – Presidency

The Presidency on Tuesday raised the alarm that President Muhammadu Buhari was still waiting for the details of the 2016 Appropriation bill almost

a week after it was passed by the National Assembly.

A presidency source who does not want his name in print, said that the President is anxious to assent the bill.

The delay, the source said, is slowing down quick implementation of government programmes contained in the budget.

He said: “The President has just received the transmission of the Appropriation Bill (2016 Budget) from the National Assembly and is very anxious to sign it into law, but the National Assembly only sent in the highlights without the details of the budget.

“As result, the President has been handicapped in signing the Bill because he does not know what is contained in the details and what adjustments the National Assembly must have made to the proposal sent to them.

“Although he is anxious to sign the document so that implementation of the provisions could start immediately and ease the tension in the economy and polity, he is afraid he may later discover, when the details are sent, that what is contained therein is not implementable.

“He wishes the National Assembly could send in the details speedily so that it could be considered for assent.

According to him, Ministers are also eager that the budget be signed so they could start implementing their programmes,

He added: “But they are unable to push the President to sign what has been transmitted because they also do not know what is contained in the details.

“They are particularly worried that the year is gradually aging and the provision of the law in respect of spending the previous year’s budget is not helping matters because of the low Capital provision for 2015.

“Because of the low provision made last year for capital expenditure, spending 50% of that provision for the first half of this year will make no impact on provision of infrastructure.

He also said that the Budget Office cannot work on the Budget for implementation because it is the details, and not the highlights, that they convert into implementable templates for the respective MDAs.

He said: “This development confirms speculations that the National Assembly either did not complete work on the budget or are playing politics with the documents which affects the life of both the country and its citizens.

“The National Assembly may just have passed the bill to pass the buck to the executive and escape the wrath of the public which was gradually suspecting it of sabotage.” He stated.