Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has signed the 2017 budget into law.
Senate President Bukola Saraki; Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives; Udoma Udoma, minister of budget and national planning; Lai Mohammed, minister of information; Abba Kyari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari and Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, witnessed the signing of the appropriation bill.
The National Assembly passed the budget of N7.44tn on May 11 after increasing it from the N7.29tn proposed by the executive.
Earlier in the day, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Garba Shehu, said the President had given Professor Osinbajo his backing to sign the budget.
Mr Shehu said in a statement that the President had in a letter dated June 10 and addressed to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, said it is in the interest of the nation’s economy for the Acting President to sign the budget.
According to him, the letter underscores the unity at the highest level of government.
Mr Shehu added that President Buhari said he was pleased with a resolution that the Executive would “submit next year’s budget proposals by October 2017 and the National Assembly will conclude the Appropriation process by December 2017, so that the country can return to a normal fiscal period from next year onwards”.
