The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Monday, said it plans to present a N26.01 trillion budget to the National Assembly for 2024 fiscal year.
This is according to Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Planning, who said following the Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, the FEC set the price of crude oil at $73.96, the exchange rate at $700, and oil production at 1.78 million barrels per day.
“The assumptions include the oil price benchmark, which I said for 2024, we are assuming $73.96, oil production of 1.7 8 million barrels a day at the exchange rate of $700.
“Then the inflation of 21 percent and GDP growth rate of 3.76 percent. The aggregate expenditure is estimated at N26.01 trillion for the 2024 budget which includes statutory transfers of N1.3 trillion, nondebt recurrent expenditure of N10.26 trillion, debt service estimated at N8.25 trillion as well as N7.78 trillion being provided for personnel and pension cost.
“Debt service increased because N22.7 trillion ways and means was securitised meaning it became a Federal Government debt at nine percent.
“So that is easily about 2.1 trillion Naira. This describes that equally personnel cost went up because of transfers under the agreement with labour.”
During a briefing at the Presidential Villa’s Council Chamber in Abuja, Bagudu stated that the government is working to achieve a January-December budget cycle.
He stated that the executive will make every effort to guarantee that the 2024 budget is passed and signed by December 2023. Bagudu further stated that the FEC adopted the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Papers (FSP) for 2024-2026.
