Jonathan Presents 2014 Budget, Nov 12

Deputy Director, and Head, Consumer Education, CBN. Hajiya Khadijah Kasun, chatting with Chairman, NUJ, Rivers State council, Mr Opaka Dokubo, during a briefing to mark the commencement of the Consumer Sensitisation Awareness Campaign in Port Harcourt, recently.
Photo Prince Obinna Dele.

President Goodluck Jonathan has sought the leave of the National Assembly to present the 2014 Budget proposal to a joint session of the Federal Legislature on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. This was disclosed in a letter sent to the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator David Mark.
The letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark read in parts : “I write to crave your kind indulgence to grant me the slot of 12:00 noon on Tuesday , November 2013 to enable me formally address a joint session of the National Assembly on the 2014 Budget.”
President Jonathan also thanked the Senators for their continued support , assuring the lawmakers of his highest regards for the institution.
It would be recalled that the National Assembly had advocated that the Federal Budget proposal be presented at least three months before the end of the fiscal year to enable the legislature have  enough time to consider the proposal before passage and to enable the nation commence the implementation of the year’s budget early.
President Jonathan , last year presented the N4.8trillion , Budget proposal for this year on October 10, 2012 .
The harmonised 2012 Appropriation Bill was passed within the last week of December though not without enough problematic and bloated allocations which the Executive couldn’t cope with even after the presidential endorsement. These issues dragged the Bill back to the National Assembly early this year for series of amendments.
Meanwhile, the Senate has indicated that the chambers can only be said to be ready for the 2014 budget proposal after putting in order the 2014 -2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework still lying in the chambers.
Consequently the Upper House has called for an accelerated legislative action on the said framework by all the concerned committees.

Nenka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja