The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, at the plenary on Thursday, insisted on today’s (Friday) deadline issued to standing committees to represent their reports on the 2018 budgets proposed by the Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
He said the deadline would not be extended, noting that the Senate would not be held to ransom by the 20 sub-committees that had yet to present their reports to the Committee on Appropriations.
“My meeting with the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations as of yesterday (Wednesday) showed that a number of committees have not submitted their reports. As much as possible, we have tried not to name names, but we have no alternative than to list these committees so that the chairmen can know that they are holding all of us back,” he stated.
Saraki said the defaulting committees were Defence, Army, Air Force, Navy, Industry, Federal Capital Territory, States and Local Governments, Culture and Tourism, Petroleum (Downstream), Petroleum (Upstream), Niger Delta and Sustainable Development Goals.
Others are Primary Health and Communicable Diseases, Health, Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, Capital Market, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Works, Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy,; and National Cooperation and Integration.
“These 20 sub-committees must make sure that their reports are submitted by Friday. We have a deadline, which we are committed to, and you cannot hold us up any further. Submit unfailingly by Friday,” he stated.
Saraki had on Wednesday said the Committee on Appropriations was expected to present a harmonised report on the 2018 Appropriation Bill next week.
The National Assembly had set April 24 for the passage of the budget.
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