Buhari To Present 2017 Budget To National Assembly Today

President Muhammadu Buhari will today (Wednesday) present the 2017 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.

The document will be the second one to be presented by the President after his inauguration in May 2015. Buhari, who will be accompanied by top government officials, is expected to present the document at 10am.

The Federal Executive Council had on November 30 approved the document for presentation to the National Assembly.

Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the council’s meeting, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, refused to give details of the budget proposal as approved by the council.

He said it was only the President who would unveil the document on the floor of the National Assembly.

“The 2017 budget has been approved by the Federal Executive Council and the details will be revealed when the President presents the budget to the National Assembly,” Udoma said.

The budget of N6.07tn for 2016 was predicated on a benchmark price of $38 per barrel of crude oil and N197 to a dollar exchange rate.


Meanwhile, Access into the National Assembly this morning is an Herculean task as all three entry gates have been shut by security operatives.

The action is preparatory to President Muhammadu Buhari’s anticipated visit to the National Assembly today to present the estimates of the 2017 budget to senators and members of the House of Representatives.

Members of staff have been denied access and all other organisations rendering services within the complex have been shut out.

Long queues of vehicles and crowds of anxious people are noticed along the entry points.

Punch