As National Assembly resumes plenary tomorrow after its seven weeks recess, the presidency has concluded plans to present the 2018 budget to a joint session of Senate and House of Representatives very soon.
Making this disclosure to The AUTHORITY yesterday, Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters, Sen Solomon Ita Enang, said that President Muhammadu Buhari has concluded plans to present the 2018 budget in the early part of next month to enable the lawmakers pass the appropriation Bill before the end of this fiscal year.
Presidency, he noted, would prior to the budget presentation, lay before the two chambers of the National Assembly, request for virement to enable the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) complete their priority projects.
Ita Enang added that the presidency would also saddle the lawmakers with request for approval of foreign loans to enable the administration complete it’s essential projects.
He said: “We think that we will lay before the National Assembly, request for virement to enable us do certain priority projects; we will also place before them request for approval for loan, we are also going to lay before them request for approval of 2018 appropriations.”
The Presidency, he noted, has a number of appointments lined up for confirmation and would present them for confirmation as soon as National Assembly resumes sittings.
“There are also several requests for confirmation of appointments of chairman and directors of the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria; the chairman of the board of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Managing director and Executive director of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC); the appointments of members of the board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)-am not talking of the Chairman of the EFCC but members of the board-, then the members of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and several others.