National Assembly to get bill in October, says Enang

The presidency has announced its intention to submit the 2018 appropriation bill to the National Assembly in October.

This was disclosed by President Muhammadu Buhari's Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, SenatorIta Enang, on Sunday, September 17, 2017.

While speaking at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja, Enang said the Federal Government is committed to meeting the October deadline earlier set by the National Assembly for the submission of the bill.

He revealed that many ministries have already started making their budget inputs and defending their submissions to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.

According to him, "It is intended that in the next few days, they would have completed the exercise and have the total of the budget as well as get ready with the final draft. Everything is being done to ensure that we keep to the date."

ALSO READ: FG to present N7.9 trillion 2018 Budget to NASS in October

Stating that the National Assembly will consider the bill between October and December, he said that the government is committed to ensuring that the country returns to the annual budget cycle of January to December.

He said, "The current budget will end in 12 months and having been signed on June 12, 2017, the budget is legally to run between June 12, 2017 and June 11, 2018.

"But the intention of the government is to make sure that the implementation date and assent will be for January 1, 2018 so that we will return the budget to the conventional January."

In July, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma revealed that the 2018 appropriation bill will be around N7.9 trillion.

The 2017 bill was not passed into law until June this year, when Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo signed the N7.44 trillion Budget of Economic Recovery and Growth.