The chairman, senate committee on appropriation, Mr. Barau Jubril, on Tuesday, requested for extension of consideration and passage of the 2020 budget by one week.
Jubril who made the appeal for more time to present the final report while speaking on the floor of the senate said the committee had collated and analysed all the reports of the sub-committees.
“We have been having sleepless nights, we have been able to put everything together with our team of experts. What remains now is to crosscheck and make sure there is no mistake. Crossing all the Ts and dotting all the Is.
“Thereafter, we will now go to print because we want to submit all the details. What remains now, it will take us up to Sunday, so by Monday, we should be able to have all the clear details and then we lay on Tuesday. I just said I should inform you,” he said.
In his response the senate president, Mr. Ahmad Lawan, acceded to the demand.
“I am sure you are working with the House Committee on Appropriations. The Senate will give you an additional week and that is unfailing, Tuesday should be on 3rd of December, 2019. By the grace of God, you should be able to lay it here and the Senate should pass it within that week,” he said.
The Senate initially planned to pass the budget on November 28.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had on October 8 presented the bill to a joint session of the national assembly.
He proposed N10.33 trillion for national spending for the 2020 fiscal year.
Lawmakers of both chambers, thereafter, deliberated on the provisions of the budget in separate plenary sessions.
While some hailed the president’s propositions, others had one or two issues with some aspects of the bill.
The budget was, thereafter, referred to the senate committee on appropriation which spread the budget across the committees who held budget defence sessions with ministries, departments and agencies to defend their budgets.
