THE Senate, today, dashed the high expectations of Nigerians of having the 2023 Appropriations Bill passed as it blamed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led executive of submitting the budget proposal very late to the National Assembly and when it was laid, came with errors.
There were strong Indications that the Budget was not going to be passed by the red chamber when the budget report was not listed on the order paper for Thursday’s legislative activities.
Prior to the disclosure by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, the Senators had gone for an Executive Session shortly after the plenary resumed for the day and the closed session lasted for 15 minutes.
In his remarks after closed session, Lawan said that the 2023 Appropriations Bill cannot be passed today as scheduled because the Appropriations Committee could not complete work on the budget report.
Blaming the the Executive arm of government for submitting the budget proposal very late and with errors, the Senate President said that the process of cleaning the errors contained in the Appropriations Bill was concluded on Wednesday, December 21, adding that the two chambers (Senate and House of Representatives) have to harmonise the copy to be able to present the report for passage by both chambers today.
Lawan, however, assured that the implementation of the proposed budget will still commence on January 1, 2023.
