The Nigerian Senate has confirmed that the 2016 budget submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari is actually missing.
The development was confirmed during plenary on Wednesday, January 13, 2015 when Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe representing Abia South raised a point of order demanding that the senate addresses the issue of the missing budget as widely reported.
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The senate gave updates from plenary via its twitter handle:
Sen. Enyinaya Abaribe (Abia South) raises a Point of Order for the Senate to address the issue of the #MissingBudget going round the media.
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) January 13, 2016
Sen Abaribe quoting Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rules said the matter was discussed during the Closed Section yesterday with no feedback
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) January 13, 2016
The senate president subsequently responded to Sen. Abaribe’s point of order, reminding him that “it was agreed at the closed door session that the senate will wait for a feedback from the committees” assigned to look into the matter. Saraki said that the feedback will be ready and submitted on Thursday.
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…that the Senate will wait for a feedback from the Committees assigned to look into the matter. #MissingBudget
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) January 13, 2016
Senate President @bukolasaraki concludes saying a feedback from the assigned Committees should be ready by tomorrow. #MissingBudget
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) January 13, 2016
It would be recalled that the media has been awash with news of the disappearance of the 2016 appropriation bill.
In an attempt to rebuff the story, senate majority leader, Ali Ndume had said: “There is no such thing; it is laughable for anybody to insinuate that the 2016 budget is missing; it is the figment of the imagination of those carrying such rumour.
“We, as a Senate, are presently concentrating on making copies of the budget available to every senator. We are getting ready to commence deliberations on the budget and we are enthusiastic and looking forward to a quick passage so that the president would commence implementation in such a way that the electorate would begin to reap the dividends and benefits of democracy. So it is not true that the budget is missing; it is a rumour. We deal with facts here and the fact is that no budget is missing.”
