There are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari may sign the controversial 2016 budget on Thursday, May 5.
Information reaching us indicated that the National Assembly is likely to transmit the final copy of the document to the President any moment from now.
Confirming the development, the minister of state for budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed said that the National Assembly is expected to transmit the budget to President Buhari before the close of Wednesday of Thursday.
“On the 2016 budget, I must say the executive and legislature have worked very hard putting things together, reviewing the details of the budget and is at its final stage. So maybe between today and tomorrow, National Assembly will start the process of transmitting the details to the President.”
Zainab spoke to news men on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held today, Wednesday and presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
With the minister of budget at the news briefing were the minister of information, Lai Mohammed, minister of State Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, minister of State Foreign Affairs, Khadijat Bukar Abba Ibrahim.
Zainab said that FEC adopted 34 specific areas to be concentrated on in the 2016 budget, adding: “the first is policy, governance and security, second diversification of the economy, the third is creating support for the poor and the vulnerable and the fourth is reflating our economy through investment.”
She said that each of these projects and programmes had very clear deliverables and targets and indicators which would be measured to ensure that the respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) deliver on what they committed to implement. [myad]
