Nigeria’s national assembly made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives have suspended most of its activities in a bid to receive President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2018 budget.
The Speaker of the House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara, has suspended the investigations of ad-hoc committee probing operational activities of telecommunications equipment and service companies and vendors in Nigeria.
The ad-hoc committee which began its investigation on Monday 6 November told participating telcos that the hearing will be put on hold today.
Other activities in both legislative houses have been suspended as well.
President Muhammadu Buhari had last week said he would resent the 2018 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly on 7 November.
In a letter read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, he said the President has officially informed the upper legislative chamber of the presentation of the fiscal appropriation bill.
READ: Stop clampdown on online media, MRA tells Nigeria Govt
“In pursuant to Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution, may I crave the kind indulgence of the National Assembly to grant me the slot of 1400 hours on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, to formally address a joint session and lay before the NASS the 2018 budget proposal.”
However, the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has accused territory’s administration of receiving huge returns on investment without making returns to the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, the Senate Majority Leader, Ahmad Lawan, has declared that the January to December calendar cycle for the country’s yearly budget is not sacrosanct.
Lawan, who stated this while speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa yesterday, said that what is more important is for the fiscal document to be implemented fully.
He said to return to the January to December calendar arrangement was predicated on the level of collaboration between the executive and the country’s parliament.
