to N6.06 trillion and passed into law by the National Assembly last week.
But while transmitting the approved copy to the presidency, the National Assembly failed to attach the details and only included the highlights. The development infuriated president Mohammadu Buhari who, while away in the United States last week, said that he was withdrawing his assent until the details were made available to him.
President Buhari’s fury was hinged on the incidences of “padding” which characterized the budget. He said “Some bureaucrats removed what we put in the proposal and replaced it with what they wanted. I have to look at the bill that has been passed by the National Assembly, ministry by ministry, to be sure that what has been brought back for me to sign is in line with our original submission”.
The president had since vowed to mete out punitive measures to those found culpable on the matter. But on Thursday, the National Assembly transmitted the details of the budget to the presidency. However, instead of signing the document, the president on Friday made good use his words and ordered that the document be sent back to the 36 Ministries for review.
This was made known after an emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC which the president summoned immediately after he received the budget details on Thursday. Meanwhile, as the meeting started yesterday at the presidential villa, President Buhari was conspicuously absent, leaving Vice President Yemi Osinabjo to preside. No official reason was given for his absence.
His absence was apparently a surprise to the members of the FEC made up of the 36 ministers, the Vice President, the Secretary to the State Government, SGF. Time of the meeting was 11: am and the licensed members had arrived pretty early. They were seen exchanging pleasantries amongst themselves.
But they were interrupted by a clap of hand, a sign to signal them of the president’s arrival to the meeting. But there was no sign of the president in the room. The SGF, Mr. David Babachir verbally called the meeting to order while Vice President Osinabjo called for opening prayers. At this point, Journalists were excused from the meeting. It was not known whether the president later joined the meeting.
Rising from the meeting, FEC said the 2016 budget was still a work in progress. Briefing State House Correspondents mid way into the meeting, the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed said that the Ministers had been mandated to study the budget details as they affect their respective Ministries.
According to him, the meeting had broken up after sitting for two hours apparently to enable Muslims to observer the Friday prayers. He stated that the meeting would continue later in the day, hinting that there would be a statement on its resolution at the end. “As you all know, we received the details of the 2016 budget from the National Assembly yesterday. And extraordinary meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC was called this morning for the available ministers to look at the details of the budget and how it affects his or her ministry. “Let’s say that at this point, it is still work in progress.
We have broken up to resume later in the afternoon. There is nothing definite to say. Yes, we have seen it. We are studying it and we will come out with a statement later”, Mohammed said. There was no room for questions. But Journalists waited patiently for the meeting to reconvene after prayers to no avail as neither Mohammed nor the Ministers made a return to the villa as at the time of filing this report last night.
Meanwhile, all the frantic efforts made by Vanguard to reach the presidential spokesmen, Mr. Femi Adesina and Mallam Shehu for official comments on why the president stayed away from the meeting were unfruitful as both men did not answer several phone calls put to them. Meawhile, though there was not official statement yet, the president is believed to be leaving Abuja for China on Sunday for a state visit. The implication of this is that Nigerians would have to tarry a little longer for the budget to be signed into law.
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