The House of Representatives on Thursday said it would ensure that it approved the 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) on Tuesday.
Spokesman of the House, Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas, gave the assurance while briefing newsmen in Abuja, and said that the National Assembly would adjourn plenary for two weeks from Tuesday for oversight functions,
He also said that the adjournment of plenary would enable committees to attend to ministries, departments and agencies expected to commence defence of their 2018 budget.
Namdas dismissed fears that the ongoing debate of the Appropriation Bill could have grave implications on the budget in view of the fact that the MTEF was yet to be approved by the national assembly.
He said the House had not committed any offence by simply opening debate on the Budget, adding that the MTEF would be passed before the budget was considered and passed in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
He emphasised that though there had been pressure from Nigerians to pass the budget, the lawmakers would take time to do a thorough job before passing it.
It’s expected that the executive will also play its part by ensuring that the budget is well implemented when passed by the parliament,’’ Namdas said. (NAN)