Buhari Gives Osinbajo Go-Ahead To Sign 2017 Budget

President Muhammadu Buhari has given the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, the green light to sign the 2017 budget.

President Buhari in a letter addressed to Budget Minister, Udoma Udo Udoma said it is in the interest of the nation’s economy for the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to sign the 2017 Appropriation Bill into law.

President Buhari wrote the letter to Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, according to a statement by Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the president on the media and publicity.

Buhari, who is recuperating in London said he had received a full briefing on the Appropriation Bill as passed by the National   Assembly.

To buttress the unity at the highest level of government, he said he was yielding his signatory authority to Osinbajo.

An earlier report had indicated that Osinbajo will sign the 2017 budget into law by 3pm today.

This announcement was made by the Special Adviser to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki on New Media, Bamikole Omisore, on his social media handle @MrBanksOmisore.

Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara would join Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa for the signing of the budget, Omisore said.

“Today at 3:00pm Senate President @bukolasaraki will join AG @ProfOsinbajo for the signing of 2017budget at Presidential Villa in @AsoRock,” he wrote on his twitter handle.

The National Assembly, NASS, had passed the budget on 11 May. Osinbajo was presented a copy by 19 May with the original figure ballooning to N7.441 trillion, from the N7.28trillion proposed by President Buhari.

Then came the delay in the Acting President assenting to it to become law. Earlier reports had said that the Acting President was scrutinising the document. Indeed, copies of the budget were sent to MDAs for perusal and observations.

President Buhari in his letter to Udoma said he was “pleased by the joint resolution that the Executive  would submit next year’s budget proposals by October 2017 and the National Assembly will conclude the Appropriation process by December 2017, so that the country can return to a normal fiscal period from next year onwards.”

(NAN)