President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the 2018 Appropriation Bill into law. The Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara were absent.
The Senate President was however represented by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn N’Alla, while the Speaker of the House of Representatives was represented by the Chief Whip, Ado Dogowa.
President Buhari assented to the bill on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
President Buhari had submitted a budget proposal of N8.612 trillion to the National Assembly in November 2017.
He later received the appropriation bill from the lawmakers on May 25, 2018, more than six months after presenting a budget proposal of N8.612 trillion to the Legislature.
The National Assembly had accused the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of frustrating the passage by failing to submit the breakdowns of their budget proposals, forcing a presidential order to that effect.
They had also increased the proposal by N508 billion, bringing the total figure to N9.12 trillion as against the initial estimate of N8.6 trillion.
The signing of the budget took place in one of the President’s office, Presidential Villa Abuja.
Details later.
