Buhari asks Senate to consider ‘corrected budget’

The Presidency has finally laid claim to the second copy of the 2016 budget proposal following the ruckus that ensued when reports of the loss of the initial budget document submitted to the Senate, surfaced.

It all started with the letter from President Muhammadu Buhari to the House of Representatives withdrawing “the faulty details” of the 2016 budget.

The lawmakers in the Senate had divided opinions on the financial plan, as some opposition lawmakers in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) questioned the financial capacity of the government to fund the budget considering the fall in oil prices and the deficit in the budget with an initial oil price benchmark of $38 per barrel.

“The draft bill remains the same and there are no changes in any of the figures”.

He expressed confidence that the budget would be the pivotal means to the “change” promised by Mr. Buhari-led All-Progressives Congress government.

“Mr. President, a budget that increases spending up to 30 per cent based exclusively on borrowing, in what way is it justified?” We know what is going on in the global economy.

“This can not be a budget of change”, Abaribe said.

Controversies over the budget started after rumours spread that the budget had disappeared.

Investigations by our correspondent, however, revealed that Enang might be innocent of the whole saga as he was said to have merely forwarded to the senate copies of the document which were mass produced and taken to his office from the Budget Office.

According to him, to make the budget a bit realistic, it has to be reduced by about 30%. “But, we are still determined to pass the budget on time and that will be before the end of February”, he said. We are in recession whether we like it or not.

If you have opportunity, you have to really look at it again to make sure of what he did.

He asked: “where is the money going to come from?”

But Ahmed Lawan (APC-Yobe State) countered the PDP Senators.

I also believe that looking at the budget, we need to concentrate more on ongoing projects rather than starting new projects.

They also resolved to begin the consideration of the national fiscal document as from tomorrow (Wednesday).

Senator Abdulfatai Buhari who represents Oyo North Senatorial District is Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT, and a member of some committees including Appropriation, Industry, among others.

“Epic and historical because it is a budget that is coming at the advent of a historically low oil price and on the heels of a receding economy like never before”, Mr. Gbajabiamila said.