Osinbajo, ministers scrutinise 2016 budget

FROM JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, ABUJA

AN extra-ordinary Federal Ex­ecutive Council (FEC) meeting held Friday to look critically at the 2016 Appropriation bill re­cently passed by the National Assembly.

The meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osin­bajo with Ministers and Per­manent Secretaries in atten­dance began scrutiny of the budget ministry by ministry.

President Muhammadu Bu­hari had last week insisted that the 2016 budget details will be scrutinised before he signs it.

President’s Senior Special Assistant on National Assem­bly Matters (Senate), Ita En­ang; and the Senior Special Assistant on National Assem­bly Matters (House of Rep­resentatives), Samaila Kawu, handed over the 1,800-page document to the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari on Thursday in the presence of the Minister of Budget and Na­tional Planning, Udo Udoma.

Speaking with State House correspondents during short break of the meeting, the Min­ister of Information, Lai Mo­hammed said: “We have re­ceived the details of the 2016 budget from the National As­sembly and an extra-ordinary Federal Executive Council meeting was called to avail ev­ery minister to look at the de­tails of the budget and see how it affects each of the ministries.

“And also at this point, it is still work in progress we have broken up to resume later in the afternoon. We will come out with a statement later”, he said.