President Muhammadu Buhari will sign the 2018 budget on Wednesday, June 20.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity who disclosed this on a private Television station said the president would assent to the proposal by 12 noon.
He stated further that the Executive arm of government should not be blamed for the delayed passage of the budget by the National Assembly, stressing that it had been submitted to the lawmakers since last year.
“Naturally, every Nigerian should be worried and concerned,” the presidential aide said. “That budget was submitted on November 7, 2017, with the expectation that latest by December ending, it would have been passed.”
“But it wasn’t passed till May (2018) and that is quite worrisome for every right-thinking Nigerian.”
President Buhari received the appropriation bill from the National Assembly on May 25, 2018, more than six months after presenting a budget proposal of N8.612 trillion to the Legislature.
President Buhari with Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly matters (Senate) Senator Ita Enang, SSA National Assembly matters (House of Rep.) Hon. Suleiman Kawu and Clark of National Assembly Alhaji Sani Omolori as he presents the 2018 National Budget to a Joint Session of the National Assembly.
The lawmakers had accused the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of frustrating the passage by failing to submit the breakdowns of their budget proposals, forcing a presidential order to that effect.
They had also increased the proposal by N508 billion, bringing the total figure to N9.12 trillion as against the initial estimate of N8.6 trillion.
