By Sunday Aborisade and Udora Orizu
President Muhammadu Buhari would this Friday present and lay before the two chambers of the National Assembly, the proposed N19.76 trillion budget for the 2023 financial year.
THISDAY had reported that the federal government planned to spend N19.76 trillion in 2023, a 15.37 per cent increase from the amount earmarked in the 2022 budget as well as a projected deficit of N11.30 trillion.
The budget would be the last to be presented by Buhari as his tenure elapses on May 19, 2023.
The letter on budget presentation by Buhari was personally written by him and read during plenary yesterday, by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan and Speaker of the House Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The letter read in part, “This is to inform the House that I will on 10:00 am on Friday, 7th October 2022, formally present the 2023 appropriation bill to a joint session of the National Assembly. Please accept, Mr. Speaker, the assurances of my highest regards. I look forward to addressing the joint session.”
Shortly after reading the letter, Lawan said the president would appear personally to address the joint session of the parliamentarians as against the earlier fears that there might be no space to accommodate the session due to the ongoing renovation.
At the House, Gbajabiamila said the decision to present the budget on Friday was as result of the meeting the leadership held last Friday, with minister of finance Zainab Ahmed, with a view for an early presentation. He therefore urged his colleagues to be present on that day.
He said, “This was as result of our meeting last Friday with minister of finance, with a view for an early presentation of the budget. Even though Friday is not a legislative sitting day, we felt it’s ok to save us time.”
