We don’t know who’ll sign the budget – Lai

 Says ministers to be sworn-in soon

By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday, said the Presidency would decide who would sign the 2017 budget as soon as the National Assembly sends it for assent.
The minister said this while addressing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
Asked who will sign the budget, Mohammed replied, “When it is transmitted to the Presidency that decision will be taken.

“In respect of the budget, it was only this morning that the Minister of Budget and National Planning, informed the Council that the budget has been passed. He has not sent to us individually, copies of the passed budget.
“We will now need to look at it against what we sent and if there is any discrepancy, we will report back to the Minister of Budget and National Planning for harmonisation.”
On whether the budget has been transmitted to the Presidency, the minister said: “Not yet, but, at least, the Minister of Budget and National Planning has gotten an advanced copy of what was passed and that is what we need to look at and compare to what we sent. It has not been transmitted officially to the presidency.”

On the implementation of the 2016 budget, the minister said: “The Ministry of Budget and National Planning will make the implementation of the 2016 budget public. They have told us at the Town Hall meeting that about N1.2 trillion was released for capital.”
The minister also told journalists that the two ministerial nominees – Professor Stephen Ikanni Ocheni from Kogi state and Mr. Suleiman Zanna Hassan from Gombe state – cleared by the Senate would soon be sworn-in.
“I can assure you they will be sworn in due course,” he said.

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