Buhari presents 2019 budget proposal to NASS on Wednesday

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President Muhammadu Buhari has notified the senate and the House of Representatives of his intention to present the 2019 budget proposal on Wednesday, December 19.

This was contained in a letter transmitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara on Thursday.

“May I crave the kind indulgence of the House of Representatives to grant me the slot of 11 hours on Wednesday, 19th December, 2018 to formally present the 2019 appropriation bill in a joint session and lay before the NASS the 2019 budget proposal,” the president wrote in a letter read by Dogara.

The letter was read about 24 hours after the minister of budget and national planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, had said the president was yet to get a date from the national assembly for the presentation of the appropriation bill.

Udoma had said on Wednesday that sequel to the federal executive council’s approval of N8.6 trillion as the budget for the 2019 fiscal year at a special session last Friday, Buhari was ready to present the proposal to the legislature.

At the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the minister had said the 2019 budget proposal was ready but the national assembly is yet to fix a date for its presentation.

“As you already know, the budget is ready. We are liaising with the national assembly because they are to give us a date. If they say today, we will go. The budget is ready,” he had said.

After the speaker had read the letter, TheCable reports that some lawmakers threatened to boycott the budget presentation over the minister’s comments.

Chika Adamu from Niger state had alleged Udoma told a lie on national television, and called on his colleagues to demand an apology from the minister.

Mark Gbillah from Benue state corroborated his claim, saying “it is a statement he (Udoma) made categorically.”

“He lied against this honourable house on national television. I want to join my colleagues to request a formal apology on TV, else we will refuse to attend that budget session with Mr. President,” he said.

Mike Adeniyi from Ogun state also supported his submission, saying “the executive arm has always portrayed the parliament in bad light.”

“The minister must come and apologise. If not, the president will come to meet an empty house,” he added.

However, Femi Gbajabiamila, majority leader of the house, accused his colleagues of determining the minister is guilty without proper check.

“The minister called me this morning; he was alarmed and upset and shocked. He said he was just reading something in the papers ascribed to him and that he never said such a thing and he is writing a rejoinder as we spoke.”

“So I think we should tarry a while because you are accusing someone of lying. Let us not turn this house into a partisan house,” he said.

But Muhammad Soba immediately accused him of “sycophancy”.

“We have seen how sycophancy has been taken to the next level. That is the APC government for you,” said the lawmaker.

Thereafter, Dogara called on his colleagues to give the minister sometime “to see if he will truly issue a rejoinder.”

“But if we don’t see that (a rejoinder), then we have an issue because we will not allow this institution to be blackmailed. If nothing is done, we will take a concrete action on it,” he said.

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