Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has made it clear that there is no friction between President Muhammmadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly regarding the 2016 national budget.
He insisted that the President did not reject the budget as being speculated, saying that such speculation was untrue.
Enang who spoke to newsmen in Abuja today, Monday said that what Buhari did before he travelled to China was to send the budget to ministries in order to get feedbacks that would inform his assent.
“The president received the budget and convened an emergency Federal Executive Council meeting.
“He gave each of the ministers, departments and agencies the opportunity to look at the details as submitted by the National Assembly.
“This is to enable him get opinion on the state of the budget to enable him take a decision. The exercise was conducted on Friday and it is ongoing by the different ministers and ministries.”
Enang said that currently, Buhari had not fouled the constitutional time frame to assent to the budget, adding that it should not be assumed that the budget had been rejected.
“The constitutional time frame for Mr. President’s receiving and considering the budget began on Friday last week. The question has not arisen as to returning or otherwise.
“But, I want to say the best way we as liaison officers are handling this matter is to speak less and work more, creating interactions.
“So, we will raise more interactions, consultations, engagements. There is nothing for the country to worry about, because we do not want to have crisis between the Executive and the Legislature, and it would not arise; this is one government.” [myad]
