Finally, President Buhari signs 2016 Budget

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday signed the 2016 Appropriation Bill into law ending weeks of face-off between the National Assembly and the Executive.

The budget was signed at a brief ceremony held inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.


Those who witnessed the event included Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Odigie-Oyegun; and chairmen of the Appropriation Committees of both chambers of the National Assembly.

Others were the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang; and the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Sumaila Kawu.

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.