The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, may have given reasons it is taking so long to sign the 2018 Appropriation Bill recently sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly, stating that the President is still scrutinizing the budget.
Udoma gave the indication in an interview at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, saying that the President was currently busy reviewing the document transmitted to him by the federal lawmakers.
The Minister added that the executive arm of government has a 30-day window to decide what to do with the document.
“The President is currently reviewing the budget. As you know, we have a minimum window of 30 days,” Udoma said in reply to a question why Buhari has still not signed the Bill with half of the year gone.
Asked further on when the budget will be eventually signed, Udoma said:
"The President is currently reviewing it and as soon as he is through, he will sign it. That is what l can tell you for now,” he said.
The lawmakers of two chambers of the National Assembly had recently passed the budget and transmitted it to Buhari, however, the lawmakers raised the total figure from N8.6trn to N9.1trn, six months after it was presented to them.
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