Jonathan to present 2013 budget to N/Assembly tomorrow

President Goodluck Jonathan will present the 2013 appropriation bill before the National Assembly tomorrow, spokesman for the House of Representatives Zakari Mohammed has said.The president was billed to present the 2013 budget proposal to the National Assembly on October 10 but the House deferred the presentation until committees returned from their oversight of ministries.Mohammed, who is chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, told Daily Trust yesterday that Jonathan would present the budget bill tomorrow as the lawmakers were now ready to receive it.But chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator ItaEnang, said the Senate was aware of the new date for the budget presentation.Enangtold Daily Trust yesterday the President was yet to send a fresh letter to notify the Senate of his willingness to present the budget this week.'As at now, it is not certain when the president will present the budget. When he sends a letter to us to notify us of his coming to present the budget, we will move a motion on the floor of the Senate to decide whether he will be received or not,' he said.But earlier yesterday, House spokesman Mohammed toldDaily Trustthat the President would now lay the 2013 budget estimate before the National Assembly tomorrow because the 89 standing committees of the House have completed their oversight of ministries and agencies in line with the resolution of the House.Chairman of the joint House of Representatives committees on Finance, National Planning, Legislative Budget and Research and Debts and Loan, Rep. AbdulmuminJibrin (PDP, Kano), also told Daily Trust that the panel's report on the medium term expenditure framework was ready.'I can confirm to you that we have finished our work on the MTEF document with a reasonable increase in the crude oil bench mark. And the monies to be realise from the increase is tied some particular projects because we won't just make money available for nothing', he said.Related Stories: Senate bars Jonathan from presenting 2013 budgetReps reject Jonathan's 2013 budget presentation requestReps to probe non-release of ministry's budget
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