2016 Budget: Buhari refuses to sign, demands adjustment

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer
new-diplomat default image
new-diplomat default image

Ad

BREAKING! [VIDEO] Ministers, Advisors, Party Chief, military officers killed in Helicopter Crash in Ghana

By Abiola Olawale A devastating military helicopter crash in Ghana’s Adansi Akrofuom District has claimed the lives of eight individuals, including two prominent ministers, advisors, and military personnel. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, has been described as a "Black Wednesday" for Ghana, with the government and citizens grappling with the profound…

South-South Highways Now Dead traps, Says King of Idjerhe

By Abiola Olawale In a passionate plea, His Royal Majesty, King Obukowho Monday Arthur Whiskey, the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, has spoken up about what he called the deteriorating state of roads in Nigeria’s South-South region, labeling them "death traps" that have left communities isolated and lives at risk. The monarch also urged both the…

Murdoch to provide health updates to Trump in deal to delay Epstein case deposition

Rupert Murdoch will give President Donald Trump updates on his health to postpone his deposition in Trump’s defamation lawsuit over a Wall Street Journal article about Jeffrey Epstein. The agreement comes after Trump’s lawyers sought a quick deposition from Murdoch, implying he could be dead or too sick to testify in person by the time…

Ad

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned the controversy-ridden 2016 budget to the National Assembly, pointing out areas of concern in the document and demanding adjustment.

The spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Abdurazaq Namdas, (APC-Adamawa State) confirmed this to journalists on Thursday.

“I can confirm to you that we are in possession of the letter from the president identifying grey areas,” Mr. Namdas said.

He said the leadership of the House and that of the Senate as well as their respective relevant committees would meet on the development.

He, however, refused to mention the “grey areas” saying they would be made known to Nigerians in “due course”.

The National Assembly passed the budget on March 2 and later transmitted it to Mr. Buhari for assent.

Apparently with the omission of certain projects and addition of others not proposed by the Executive, Mr. Buhari has since withheld his assent.

One of such projects is the Lagos-Calabar rail project counted as a critical infrastrucural focus of the administration.It was not captured in the original budget but was brought as a supplementary proposal of the Transport Ministry by its Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and was approved, Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport, Gbenga Ashafa, said.

However, the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives respectively chaired by Danjuma Goje and Abdulmumin Jibrin, removed the project from the final draft, saying Mr. Amaechi lacked the powers to make budgetary proposal.

Last week, while the Senate said Mr. Buhari should sign the budget and, later, send a supplementary proposal to capture the Lagos-Calabar rail project, the House said it had resolved to receive the budget to capture the project before assent.

Ad

X whatsapp