The executive and the legislature
have resolved that the 2016 budget be signed not later than next week. Senate
President Bukola Saraki disclosed this to State House correspondents last night
shortly after a meeting President Muhammadu Buhari held with the leadership of
the National Assembly. The Senate president said the meeting agreed on the way
forward to the budget impasse and that the process would be completed in few
days' time.
"We just finished a meeting
with the president and the vice president. We came to let them know some of the
solutions that we found in moving the budget process forward and we are happy
to say that we have agreed on the way forward and we believe that this process
will be completed in matter of days rather than weeks. So it is good to
Nigerians and all of us, we have found a way forward; and in a meter of days,
the budget will be ready for president's assent," he said.
On what he meant by the way
forward, Saraki said: "We have committees that have been set up on our
side and also on the executive side, we will engage over the next few days, to
just tidy up a few loose ends here and there, and the outcome will be
satisfactory to everybody."
Budget and National Planning
Minister Udoma Udo Udoma also said both arms of government had agreed to work
together to resolve all issues in the next few days.