President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday signed the 2016 appropriation Act into law.
The signing was witnessed by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara. The budget was signed at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Others who witnessed the budget signing ceremony were the national chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, Ministers of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma; Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Presidential Aides on National Assembly, Ita Enang (Senate) and Samaila Kawo (House of Representatives), and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
The bill was first passed by the National Assembly about six weeks ago. The 2016 budget estimates suffered several delays after claims and counter claims from both the legislature and executive arms, each accusing the other of padding the budget.
Mr. Buhari returned the budget to the National Assembly, saying key projects were removed and others not in the estimates he submitted were added.
A meeting was held last week with the leadership of the national assembly after which a committee was formed to look at all “grey areas” and harmonize them in time for the president’s assent.
The National Assembly reportedly returned a “clean” copy of the budget to the president which he finally signed today.
I shall speak in more details about the overall economic and social policies of the government in my address on May 29, God willing-PMB
Details of the final copy of the budget is unknown at this time.
President Buhari laid the 2016 budget before a joint session of the National Assembly on December 22, 2015.