Buhari to present 2021 budget next week

President Muhammadu Buhari will present the 2021 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly next week.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, disclosed this on Tuesday while welcoming senators back from their eight- week annual vacation in Abuja.

Lawan said the Senate would give the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) a one-month window to defend their estimates during the consideration of the 2021 budget.

He said, “I am aware that the Executive will be presenting the 2021 budget estimates by next week.

“The Senate will provide a one-month window for budget defense by Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

“Like last year, the month of October 2020 will be dedicated to this exercise. Subsequent months of November and December will be dedicated to the internal processing of the budget by NASS.

“The various MDAs are therefore advised to ensure that they avail themselves the opportunity of the budget defense window to appear with all the relevant and necessary information to defend their budget estimates.”

Lawan said the 1999 Constitution as amended needed to be reviewed from time to time to improve the quality of governance and ensure stability in the nation’s polity.

He said that the ongoing review of the constitution and reforms of the Electoral Act would be given speedy consideration by the Senate.

He said, “The Senate will ensure speedy work on the review exercise. Also the Electoral Reform Amendment Bills will be treated with dispatch.
“We must ensure that we make amendments that will enhance free, fair, transparent and credible elections in our country.
“The security situation in our country is not what we want it to be. We want a security situation that guarantees protection of lives and property of citizens.”

He insisted that while the country was bedevilled by multifaceted security challenges, the National Assembly would continuously seek enduring measures to arrest the situation.”