2016 BUDGET IN LIMBO

PMB with-holds assent to the 2016 Appropriation Bill for lack of details.

It has been over a week since the National Assembly passed the budget, yet details of its breakdown has not been sent to the Presidency. It is no surprise therefore that the President finds it difficult to sign it into law for fear that unimplementable adjustments may have been made by the National Assembly.

Right call by the President, if you ask me. The National Assembly had passed the budget after much political intrigues bothering on "padding". N17 billion was said to have been slashed off the N6.07 trillion presented by President Buhari in December last year.

Now we hear that only the highlights of the (now) passed budget was sent to the President by the National Assembly leadership. The detailed break-down was not sent along with it.

You would expect that after the delay and controversy surrounding the 2016 Budget, these guys would at least be scrupulous enough to ensure nothing has been left undone so as not to cause further delay.

But apparently not. It seems the National Assembly leadership is up to something else by with-holding the detailed break-down of the budget it has passed.

The delay in transmitting the details of the budget to the President could only mean that the National Assembly either did not complete work on the budget, or were playing politics with the passage of the document. This yet again proves that this National Assembly simply does not have a sense of duty.

Whatever they are up to this time, Nigerians are watching and waiting.