President Goodluck Jonathan will next week Thursday, present the 2013 budget proposal to the joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal disclosed on Tuesday.The speaker, who read out President Jonathan's letter at the plenary told his colleagues that the joint sitting would hold by 12 noon.Nigerian Tribune recalls that the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emordi, had at a press conference in Abuja on September 18, said that the 2013 budget proposal would be presented to the joint sitting of the Senate and the House before the end of September.She had said,'to this end, government is fine-tuning the 2013 Appropriation Bill, which will hopefully be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and passage this September, as earlier promised.'Nigerian Tribune also recalls that the House had on September 20, while debating the implementation of the 2012 budget, postponed its planned committees' oversight field visits to enable members study the 2012 mid-year budget implementation report which will guide them in the processing of the 2013 budget proposal.Sequel to the move by the House to inspect all capital projects appropriated in the 2012 budget, the House had insisted that it would not entertain the 2013 budget proposal from President Jonathan until it was fully satisfied with the implementation of the 2012 budget.While briefing newsmen at the National Assembly complex, the House spokesperson, Honourable Zakari Mohammed, maintained that, "we in the House of Representatives are resolute about full budget implementation. Since we returned from our annual recess, it has been budget implementation, budget implementation and budget implementation. Until we are satisfied with the level of implementation of the 2012 budget, 2013 budget proposal will not be an issue.'Meanwhile, the House has condemned the continued detention of about 400 Nigerian female pilgrims by Saudi Arabian authorities in Jedda and directed necessary agencies of government to ensure quick release of the detainees.Reports had it that the affected pilgrims who were going for the 2012 Hajj in the holy land were denied entry for not having their male partners with them.The House directive was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Deputy Minority Leader, Honourable Abdurahman Kawu, who asked the House ti direct the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to urgently wade into the matter, with a view to ensuring that the female pilgrims were allowed to perform the Hajj.According to him the affected pilgrims were people who applied for Saudi Arabia visas, and were approved by its Embassy without such rules made known to them, stressing that the Saudi Arabia government action ran foul of the long standing understanding between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on Hajj performance.The Chairperson of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Nnena Elendu-Ukeje in her own contribution noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was currently on the matter and were making frantic efforts to address the situation.But, the Chairman of the House Committee on the Millennium Development Goals, Hon. Alhassan Garba kicked against the submission of the Foreign Affairs chairman saying that three of his sisters from Kano State were victims of the incident.Said he, "three of my blood relations were affected, I spoke with one of them, by name Hajara, she said she is sick and had not been given even ordinary coke. As at 10am Hon Bunu (Nigeria Ambassador to Saudi Arabia) told me that the situation has not changed".To this end, the Speaker directed the House committee on Foreign Affairs to follow up the matter and brief the House on Thursday.
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