Buhari, Saraki Meets Over 2017 Budget to Avoid Friction

Senate President, Buko­la Saraki, has asked Ni­gerians to expect quick passage of 2017 Budget that is better than this year’s be­cause of wider consultation and collaboration going on among stakeholders.

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to pres­ent the 2017 Budget to a joint session of the Nation­al Assembly in the next 10 days.

Saraki bared his mind to journalists yesterday after he met with Buhari over the budget, which had been a thorny issue between the National Assembly and the Presidency.

Emerging from his close-door parley with Buhari, the Senate Presi­dent told State House cor­respondents that a lot of work had been done be­hind the scene to prevent a recurrence of the scandal that trailed the 2016 Bud­get.

Saraki said, “I came for consultation with the President on a number of national issues. We are all getting towards the end of the year, getting the bud­get (ready); just regular consultation”.

Asked how ready the Senate was to receive the new budget, he replied: “We are ready. Once the document comes to us, we are ready.

“I think this time around, a lot of work have taken place behind the scene, there is a lot of more collaboration and you will see the result of that in the time frame it will take after the presi­dent will have presented it.

“I am very optimistic that next year’s budget will be passed much more sooner than what we saw in the past.”

He, however, said he could not give out details of the budget because “I haven’t seen the details until the President lays it. I am sure within the next 10 days, it will be presented”.

On the other issue of the equally contentious Medium Term Expendi­ture Framework (MTEF), the Senate President said “iI is still a work in prog­ress. I am sure that very soon, that matter will be concluded”.