Senate asks Buhari to submit 2020 budget – TheNigerialawyer

The Senate has asked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal
Executive to ensure that the 2020 Appropriation Bill was ready
before the federal lawmakers resume from their current recess
towards the end of September.

Both the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, have been
canvassing the country’s return to the January-December budget
cycle.

Lawan specifically told all the ministers-designate, after their
confirmation hearing last week, to cooperate with the federal
parliament with a view to ensuring speedy submission, consideration
and passage of the annual fiscal document, once they were
inaugurated.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs,
Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, told our correspondent in an interview
that the federal legislators are prepared to start work on the 2020
Appropriation Bill immediately they resume in September.

He said, “We expect the executive to work on the budget on time
so that they can lay it before the National Assembly on time,
latest before our resumption in September or in the first week of
October.

“Once we receive it, we will start work on it and we should be
able to pass it latest by the middle of December.

“Now that the standing committees of the Senate and the House of
Representatives have been constituted, the relevant ministries,
departments and agencies of government should start engaging
members of the committees in charge of their oversight, in the
budget formulation process.

“If they do this, the process of budget defence will not be a
difficult matter by the time they come to defend their proposals,
hence we can then revert to the January-December budget cycle
again.

“When we achieve this, the budget will be fully implemented and
we will see the result in the rapid social and economic growth and
development of the country.”