|By Sehubo Festus
Senate says Tinubu plans to present 2024 budget by November. Bola Tinubu is set to present the 2024 budget to the National Assembly within the following two weeks.
Additionally, the President will submit the supplementary budget for 2023 to the National Assembly for deliberation.
During the committee’s inaugural meeting on Wednesday, Senator Solomon Adeola, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, affirmed that the National Assembly is committed to passing the 2024 budget before December 31, 2023.
Adeola further stated, “We have received credible information that the executive will be forwarding the supplementary budget to the National Assembly within the next few hours.”
“Also, about a week or two weeks later, the President will be presenting the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, and as a result of this, I find it very important to call for an inaugural meeting so that we can get to know one another.”
Talking about the delayed presentation of the budget by the President to the National Assembly, Adeola said the change in government was a significant factor that should be considered.
“I want you to take cognizance of the change of government on May 29.
“There is a teething problem because there is a change of government. The new administration has a new mantra that encapsulates its vision, and there must be challenges,” he said.
Adeola, however, promised that irrespective of the lateness in the submission of the 2024 budget, the Senate would do a thorough job.
“Our job is to verify the budget to meet the expectations of the people. We will look into it thoroughly.
“We expect the MTEF next week, and immediately we receive the document, the Committee on Finance will go to work and look into it.”
He added, “The Finance Minister and the Minister of Budget and Planning are working round the clock.
“I assure you that we won’t break the tradition; we will have the budget as and when due. We will keep to the tradition of the January-December budget cycle.”
Adeola dismissed the concept of budget padding.
He said, “A budget has to do with the nomination of projects to the budget document that will meet the yearnings and needs of the people; I would not regard that as padding.
“It is still part of a government document; we will look into it, and it has an expectation. The budget has an estimate, but implementation is another thing.
“So I don’t believe in budget padding; it never exists in my dairy.”