President Muhammadu Buhari arrived the National Assembly complex at about 2pm for the presentation of the 2020 Appropriation bill before the joint session of the lawmakers.
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At about 2.05pm, Senate President Ahmed Lawan welcomed the President on behalf of the lawmakers through his opening remarks.
- Senator Lawan assured President Muhammadu Buhari that the executive and the legislature are on the same page.
- He said all heads of MDAs must appear before various committees within the month of October.
- President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, stated the need for Nigeria to return to a January-December budget cycle, saying that the National Assembly would accelerate work on the 2020 Appropriation Bill being presented by President Muhammadu Buhari.
- He urged the ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government to turn up before the National Assembly committees for the defence of their budget proposals as contained in the bill.
- He assured that all budget defence sessions would be concluded in October, other legislative processes would be done on the bill in November, while the lawmakers had planned to pass the budget in December.
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- President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that he is suffering from cold and he attributed his ailment to his hard work as the President of the country.
- Before presenting the details of the bill, the President apologised for his voice. He said he is suffering from cold because he is working hard.
- The comment attracted loud laughter and applause from all those inside the chamber, including the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, federal lawmakers, state governors, members of the Federal Executive Council and leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, among others
- Budgetary allocations to ministries as announced by PMB:
Works and Housing – N262 billion
Transportation – N123 billion
UBEC – N112 billion
Defence – N100 billion
Agriculture – N83 billion
Water Resources – N82 billion
Education – N48 billion
Health – N46 billion
North East Dec Commission – N38 billion
SIPs – N30 billion
FCT – N28 billion
Niger Delta – N24 billion - Budget deficit expected is N2.8 trillion
- President Muhammadu Buhari urged the National Assembly to stop the unnecessary practice of budget delay to enable the 2020 budget come into effect by 1st January 2020.The president said he has directed the stoppage of the salary of any federal government staff that is not captured on the integrated payroll and personnel information (IPPIS).President Buhari says he will forward two petroleum industry bills to NASS very soon. He sought the quick passage of the bills.
- The President said alongside the bill, he will be presenting a Finance Bill for consideration by the Senate. The bill, he said, provides for incremental but necessary changes into the fiscal law.He said the bill seeks to establish a domestic tax law to align with global best practices as well as support Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.
The president said the 2020 bill is based on the new VAT rate – which will help finance health, education, and infrastructural programmes.
- President Muhammadu Buhari assure the lawmakers of the strong commitment of the Executive to deepen the relationship with the NASS – President BuhariHe closed his presentation by saying: May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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