After months of bickering, accusations and counter accusations, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally signed the 2016 budget.
Present at the budget signing ceremony were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House Of Reps, Yakubu Dogara, Chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Budget,Udo Udoma and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje and his counterpart in the House Of Reps, Abdulmumuni Jibrin.
President Buhari, who insisted that priority be given to strategic programmes and projects in the budget, finally assented after the National Assembly returned a clean copy to him having dispensed with the alleged padding in the Appropriation Bill.
The presidency on Thursday said the budget focused on 34 areas grouped into the four major objectives: governance and security, diversification of the economy, creating support for the poor and the vulnerable, as well as reflecting the economy through investment.
Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed had summarized the government’s position thus: “To achieve and maintain a capital spend minimum of 30 percent annually with the objective to reflect the economy and enhance employment generation capacity for the productive sector.”
The president heads for France later today.
