Osinbajo Overrules Minister, Presidential Aide On Budget

Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has cleared all doubts about who will sign the 2017 budget recently passed by the National Assembly into law.
Osinbajo, yesterday, put to rest speculations that the budget would wait for President Muhammadu Buhari before being signed into law, emphasising that he would sign the budget into law after vetting by the Presidency.
It would be recalled that there has been a raging controversy among ministers and presidential aides on who will sign the budget into law.
While the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed told State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by Osinbajo that the decision on who to sign the budget would be taken when the document is transmitted to the Presidency, the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, last Wednesday, said Buhari will be the one to assent it.
Speaking with newsmen, Enang confirmed that the Presidency received the budget late Wednesday afternoon, adding that when it is finally looked into, it would be transmitted to President Buhari, who will sign it and then transfer it to acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, for other formalities to take place.
“The 2017 budget will be transmitted to Mr President and the president will assent to the budget. The acting president is in office, and when the budget is transmitted, it will go through the processes and all those other questions will answer itself”, he said.
But Osinbajo, via a Twitter statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, said the question on who would sign the budget was clear.
According to the statement, when the time comes, everything is set and he is satisfied, the acting president will sign the budget.
“Just so we are clear: when the time comes, everything is set and he is satisfied, Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, will assent to the 2017 budget,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has denied telling State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting that a decision was yet to be reached on who would sign the budget.
Mohammed said the budget, which was passed, last Thursday, by the National Assembly, had not been formally transmitted to the Executive.
He, however, admitted that the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, had received the advance copy.
Mohammed also stated that if there were any discrepancies in the budget presented and the one passed, the Executive would report to Udoma for harmonisation.