The Senate yesterday postponed passage of the 2016 budget for the third time.
Our correspondent reports that the joint appropriation committees of both chambers had fixed yesterday for submission of their report on the budget and its passage today.
At yesterday’s sitting, the chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, was conspicuously absent and the issue was not discussed.
The passage of the fiscal document was first fixed for February 25 but both chambers postponed it following errors and padding.
In an interview, the Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) said it would be passed Tuesday.
“There is no problem at all, we are working on it and by Tuesday it will be passed and we will transmit it to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent,” he said.
Briefing newsmen on the postponement, the spokesman of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North) said it would be laid today.
” All is almost set for the laying of the 2016 budget tomorrow ( today) in the senate chamber as we have promised Nigerians and with that, one or two processes that are required will take place and we will have our budget as promised. This has put to rest any suspicion,” he said.
The extension of implementation of the capital component of the 2015 budget elapses March 31.