2017 Budget to be signed next week, says Dogara

We Will Engage, We Will Not Confront, Osinbajo Tells NASS

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo would assent to this yearís Appropriations Bill into law next week, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said.

On his part, Osinbajo said the executive would continue to engage the legislature in line with democratic principles to ensure that Nigerians enjoyed dividends of democracy.

In his address to mark the 2nd anniversary of the 8th House of Representatives, he expressed delight that the House has kept to its promise to carry out a budget reform that would ensure that this yearís Appropriations Bill was processed in a transparent manner.

He said: “On issue of budget, we kept our promise to Nigerians at the beginning of the legislative session to ensure transparent deliberation and passage of the 2017 Appropriations Bill, which will be signed into law early next week.

“We have also carried out significant budget reforms. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a public hearing was conducted in the National Assembly to get the input of Nigerians in the budgetary process.

Further reforms introduced include the details of the Appropriation Act being available to all members before passage in plenary; the requirement that members of each committee should sign the report of their committees before being sent to the Committee on Appropriations.

“All these novel measures are unprecedented in the history of our parliament and ensured that the Houseís debate and consideration of the budget proposal presented by the President was evidence-based and geared towards galvanising the economy for greater growth.”

The acting President, represented by Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, said the executive would not confront the legislative arm in their dealings.

We appreciate the powers of the legislature; we will in our relationship with you, continually relate on the basis of honour for each other.