Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, on Wednesday, said that delay in the submission of the ministerial list by President Muhammadu Buhari for screening won’t affect the National Assembly from giving Appropriation bill expeditious passage.
According to him, returning the national Budget’s fiscal cycle to January to December will be possible if the proposal gets to the National Assembly by September.
He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
He said “I think there is nothing to worry us deeply. The budget itself is normally prepared by civil servants, the permanent secretaries superintend and the directors will work most of the time.
“I believe that we are still on course and I believe both the executive and the legislature are on the same page on this, we are desire and are prepared and determined to pass the budget by the first and second week December by the grace of God, provided it is presented to us end of September.” he said.
Asked his discussions with the President, Lawan said that they discussed those things that would “ensure that the people of Nigeria are better protected, the economy of Nigeria performs better to the inclusion of everyone in the country.”
Governance, he said, generally is set to achieve the set targets of providing security and welfare for Nigerians.
He said that the National Assembly would collaborate and cooperate with the executive arm of government to uncover better approaches, improved paradigm in order to improve the current situations in the country.
Asked whether they discussed their security summit proposal with the President, he said “No, we haven’t discussed that. But you know that at the end of the day we are going to have a security summit that will be a collaboration between the two arms of government.
“And this is essential because while we provide the legislative intervention that is required, the executive arm of government is the one that implements. So we have to work together and we will do that.” he stated.