Ten Senate standing committees are yet to submit their 2017 budget reports on Ministries, Departments and Agencies to the Committee on Appropriation,a development that may jeopardise early passage of this year’s budget.
This is coming five days after expiration of deadline given by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the various Senate standing committees to submit reports on the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies to the Committee on Appropriation so as to conclude work on the 2017 Appropriation Bill.
Although, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation,Danjuma Goje, could not speak on the issue when approached by Vanguard, a member of the committee who preferred his name remain in secrecy disclosed that ten committee failed to turn up their reports.
He,however, declined to name those committees which could not meet the deadline. “Mentioning the names of the committees is immaterial, I have told you that as a committee, we are yet to receive reports from ten standing committees,”he said, refusing to entertain further question.
Saraki had last Tuesday, directed chairmen of the affected committees to endeavour to submit their reports latest Thursday, last week to enable the Senate Committee on Appropriation hasten the process of passing the 2017 Appropriation Bill.
The directive by the Senate president was part of the decision of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives that met in Saraki’s house last week to discuss ways of concluding the budget defence reports and submit same to the appropriation committees of the two chambers of the National Assembly for harmonisation.
A source said part of the resolution of the joint leadership meeting was to ensure that the 2017 budget was passed earlier than that of 2016.
[vanguard]
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