Leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, on Thursday assured that President Muhammadu Buhari would get the 2017 budget documents for assent next week notwithstanding raid of the residence of the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Danjuma Goje.
Goje, a former governor of Gombe state alleged that the police had carted away the budget documents during a search of his office in Abuja.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with the President, Lawan said the meeting was part of continuous engagements to get correct briefings to enable him market presidential requests to his colleagues well and on scheduled.
He said: “Let me say that there is nothing to worry about. The National Assembly had intended to pass the budget in March but because of some parameters that we didn’t have control over, we couldn’t pass it. It was our design and desire to pass it within this month, April, but somehow, something happened.
“One of our colleagues, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Distinguished Senator Danjuma Goje’s house was raided by the police after a whistleblower gave information and when parts of those documents were taken away, it was reported that parts of the budget papers were included. This and other things that happened and essentially, the trauma that the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation had to go through, affected the process of budgeting.
“When we were going on Easter recess, members of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, including that of the House, did not go on recess. They stayed back because that was the arrangement, so that by the time we returned on April 25, that was Tuesday, they should lay the report of the budget. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible because of what happened. But the good news is that we are doing everything possible to ensure that we catch up with the lost time. So, by the grace of God, I’m thinking that by next week, we should be able to finish our own work and pass the budget for Mr. president to sign.”
On when the Senate would screen the ministerial nominees for Gombe and Kogi states, Lawan said: “Certainly not this week because this is the last legislative day of the week but l have the feeling that the Senate may be looking at that and indeed others, by next week insha Allah.”
