President Muhammadu Buhari today will lay before the two chambers of the National Assembly, the proposed N19.76 trillion budget for the 2023 financial year.
The N19.76 trillion budget which would be the last presented by Buhari before his tenure elapses, is about a 15.37 per cent increase from the amount budgeted in 2022.
Earlier, the president had sent in a letter to the National Assembly regarding the presentation, a correspondence which was read during plenary on Tuesday, by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan and Speaker of the House Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
“This is to inform the House that I will on 10:00 am on Friday, 7th October 2022, formally present the 2023 appropriation bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.
“Please accept, Mr. Speaker, the assurances of my highest regards. I look forward to addressing the joint session,” the letter partly read.
Shortly after reading the letter, the Senate President told his colleagues that Buhari will address the joint session of parliamentarians, dousing fears that the presentation might not have been possible, seeing that there are ongoing renovations within the National Assembly complex and many worried that there won’t be room enough to accommodate all the legislators and other guests who will be present.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday approved the 23-25 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategic Paper(FSP) ahead of the presentation of the 2023 Budget proposals by the president on Friday.
The Senate gave the approval following the consideration of the report of its Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning on the 2023-25 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) And Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) which President Muhammadu Buhari recently proposed to the National Assembly.
The report was presented by the chairman of the Committee, Senator Adeola Olamilekan (APC – Lagos West).
After the debate on the report, the Senate approved, for 2023, the oil price benchmark of US$73 per barrel of crude oil and sustained, as contained in the MTEF/FSP documents, the exchange rate of N437.57 to one dollar.
The Senate also approved the sum of N3.6 trillion as subsidy on petroleum products for 2023.
Other parameters approved include; “projected new borrowings of N8.437 trillion, including foreign and domestic borrowings subject to the approval of the provisions of details of the borrowing plan by the National Assembly.
“A retained revenue of N9.352 trillion as a result of increase in the oil bench mark, fiscal deficit of N10.563 trillion, Statutory transfers, totalling N722.11 billion; debt service estimate of N6.31 trillion ; sinking fund at N247.7 billion; pensions, gratuities and Retirees benefits at N827.8 billion.
The Senate further recommended for comprehensive review of waiver policy to ensure that only companies engaged in manufacturing and production are granted such waivers.
It also granted relevant oversight committees of the National Assembly the liberty to remove recycled projects in their budget proposals during the Committees’ budget defence.
Credit: CHANNELS TV.
