Buhari Presents 2021 Budget To NASS Next Week

President Muhammadu Buhari will next week present the 2021 Budget to a joint sitting of the National Assembly.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, made this known on Tuesday during the resumption of plenary of the Senate.

Lawan disclosed that the presentation of the 2021 budget by the President will be preceded by the consideration of 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.

The senate president commended the Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning for carrying out comprehensive legislative work on the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.

Lawan said, “The Joint Committee will present its report to the Senate today for consideration. This is a precursor to the presentation of the 2021 Budget Estimates by the Executive Arm of Government soon.

“I am aware that the Executive will be presenting the 2021 Budget Estimates by next week.”

He said the upper chamber will provide a one month window for budget defense by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“Like last year, the month of October, 2020 will be dedicated for this exercise. Subsequent months of November and December will be dedicated to the internal processing of the Budget by NASS.

“The various MDAs are therefore advised to ensure that they avail themselves the opportunity of the Budget defense window to appear with all the relevant and necessary information to defend their Budget Estimates,” Lawan added.

The Senate President confirmed that President Buhari has transmitted the Petroleum Industry Bill to the Senate for consideration.

He said that the Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Gas had preliminary engagements with the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other Stakeholders in the Oil and Gas industry, to discuss the PIB.

On the revised 2020 Budget, Lawan who emphasized the need for both chambers to carry out oversights to ensure its proper implementation stressed that same must be “targeted at addressing the specific challenges occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.”

He added, “The Senate needs to pay particular attention to the implementation of the Federal Government Economic Sustainability Plan.

“The strategic Plan is an essential means of revamping our economy, as it provides interventions in the Mass Agricultural Programme, Infrastructure, Mass Housing Programme, Investments in Healthcare Infrastructure, amongst others.”

On insecurity in the country, the senate president called for enduring measures to arrest the situation.

He pledged the support of the Senate to provide the necessary legislative intervention at all times to improve the situation.