The National Assembly yesterday denied that the 2016 Budget was missing from the National Assembly doing the rounds, saying that original copy of the Appropriation Bill as presented to NASS was intact and with the management of the Assembly.
The House also said that the reproduced copies of the budget will be distributed to members today ahead of the consideration of the estimates at the various committee levels beginning next week.
The lawmakers added that they are determined to pass the bill as soon as possible.
Describing the speculations of a missing budget as laughable, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, revealed that the contents of the 2016 budget were carefully drafted to enhance and drive the change agenda of the present administration.
He added that the senators were eager to pass the budget so that implementation would commence immediately so as to deliver the dividends of democracy to the electorate.
It was gathered that deliberations on the 2016 budget would kick-start next Tuesday and that this week would be used to make copies available to lawmakers.
The Senate spokesman said, “There is no such thing; it is laughable for anybody to insinuate that the 2016 budget is missing; it is the figment of the imagination of those carrying such rumour.
“We, as a Senate, are presently concentrating on making copies of the budget available to every senator. We are getting ready to commence deliberations on the budget and we are enthusiastic and looking forward to a quick passage so that the president would commence implementation in such a way that the electorate would begin to reap the dividends and benefits of democracy.
“So it is not true that the budget is missing; it is a rumour. We deal with facts here and the fact is that no budget is missing,” Senator Sabi declared.
President Muhammadu Buhari had submitted the 2016 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly on 22nd December, 2015.
Shortly after the presentation, the National Assembly proceeded on a three- week end of the year and Christmas break.
There were speculations yesterday that the 2016 budget was missing within the National Assembly.