‘President Tinubu To Present 2024 Budget To NASS In November’

President Bola Tinubu will present the 2024 national budget estimate to a joint sitting of the National Assembly in November.

The hint was given on Wednesday by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola during an interaction with newsmen.

Senator Adeola noted that the lawmakers are expecting the 2024 appropriation bill by next week.

Ahead of the expected presentation, the Senate Committee on Appropriation has invited the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, for a meeting on Wednesday next week.

Adeola who promised that the Senate would do a thorough job before passing the budget, added that the lawmakers plan to sustain the January to December budget cycle, which the 9th National Assembly started.

He said: “I want you to take cognizance of the fact that there is a change of government prior to now and as of May 29, 2023, a new Government is in place.

“I want you to take cognizance of the change of government on May 29. There is a teething problem because there is a change of government.

“The new administration has a new mantra that encapsulates its vision and there must be challenges.

“We will do a thorough job on the budget. Our job is to verify the budget to meet the expectations of the people. We will look into it thoroughly.

“We are expecting the MTEF next week and immediately we receive the document, the Committee on Finance will go into work and look into it.

“I assure you that we won’t break the tradition, we will have the budget as at when due. We will keep to the tradition of the January to December budget cycle.”

On budget padding, Senator Adeola said he doesn’t believe in budget padding but assured that the lawmakers would ensure the budget meets the yearnings of the people.

“It has to do with the nomination of the project to the budget document that will meet the yearnings and the needs of the people, I would not regard that as padding. It is still part of the government document we look into and it has an expectation. The budget is an estimate but implementation is another thing. So I don’t believe in budget padding,” he said.