Reps Defer 2015 Budget Debate Till Jan

The House of Represen
tatives on Wednesday, deferred debate on the 2015 budget till January 13, next year when lawmakers would have returned from the Christmas and New Year break.
Shortly after the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on behalf of president Goodluck Jonathan, laid the N4.3 trillion budget estimate before lawmakers, the House adjourned till January 13, 2015.
The budget presentation which lasted barely five minutes, was devoid of the usual presentation ceremonies and speeches, with the speaker of the House, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal presiding.
Our correspondent reports that Okonjo-Iweala who is also the co-ordinating minister of the economy came  to the National Assembly with a retinele of other minister and Director – General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Bright Okogu, to present the budget.
The finance minister, however, left the Green Chamber without uttering a word, just as the lawmakers too refused to comment on the budget Rt Hon Tambuwal merely thanked the minister and her entourage for coming.
This is the second time since 2013 president Jonathan would delegate Okonjo-Iweala to present the budget instead of coming personally to address the joint chambers of the National Assembly and do the presentation.
Okonjo-Iweala, however, on her way out of the chambers, told reporters that while the total expenditure was N4.3 tillion, the government was expecting a revenue of N3.6trn.
She stated that some necessary adjustments had to be done to leave the crude oil benchmark at $65 per barrel with a daily crude production quota of 2.27 million barrel.