Presidency may sign 2017 budget into law this week

Nigeria’s presidency is expected to sign the 2017 budget into law next week, Yakubu Dogara, speaker House of Representatives, and two presidency sources said on Friday.

The record N7.44 trillion  budget passed by parliament on May 11, 2017 was larger than the N7.298 trillion draft spending plan submitted by President Mohammadu Buhari in December.

Nigerians expects much from the budget as its signing delay has created apprehension on implementation, which has always been the bane of past and current governments.  Abdulrazaq Namdas, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, has however expressed that “everything was done to give Nigerians a sense of belonging… as we were very thorough this time around.’ But  rather because of the 2017 Appropriation Bill of N7.441 trillion  that will kick-start the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP),

The budget has come at a time when the current administration has merged the budgeting and planning functions into one ministry to create a better and stronger link between annual budgets and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

President Muhammadu Buhari who has been on medical leave in Britain since May 7, 2017, handed the reins power to his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, who is expected to sign the budget into law.