Senate Postpones Passage Of 2020 Budget

2020 Budget Report Not Ready Yet

The expected passage of the 2020 budget by the Senate has been postponed by one week.

It will be recalled the lawmakers had earlier scheduled that the budget report will be laid on November 26, 2019 for final consideration and possible passage on November 28, 2019.

However, addressing his colleagues during plenary on Tuesday, the Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North) requested for extension of time to Tuesday next week in order to prepare a clean copy of the report.

“Mr. President, the stage we are right now is where we have done everything in respect to the process. What remains now is to cross-check and make sure there is no mistake. Crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s.

“Thereafter, it now goes to print because we want to submit the report in details. And what remains now will take us up to Sunday next week so by Monday we should be able to have a clean report, clean details, and everything and then we lay the report on Tuesday next week.

“It’s good that we inform this august Senate so that you know where we are and what we are doing,” he said.”

Responding to the request by the committee chairman, Senate President Ahmad Lawan gave the committee an additional week to lay the report, expressing hope that this will give them enough time to tidy up the report.

“I will give you an additional week, but that is unfailingly, Tuesday next week – that is December 3, 2019 – and by the grace of God you should be able to lay it here,” Lawan said.