Nigerians are back to holding their breath over the fate of the 2016 budget (Appropriation Bill), as President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to sign the bill into law. According to reports, he is doing this based on the fact that it consists of mere highlights sent in by the National Assembly as opposed to the actual details of how the budget is to be dispensed. This development comes after the news that the bill had been passed into law by the Senate last week, with only a small adjustment made to the initial proposed figure of N6.08 trillion.
According to correspondents, the president, who is currently attending the Nuclear Security Summit in the United States, could not sign the bill before his departure as he is unaware of the changes that have been made since he sent the proposal to the assembly. Thus, the worry is that the bill may presently contain provisions that may not be implementable in the long run.
This anxiety is also shared by the ministers who are eager to begin implementing necessary policies but have to wait for presidential approval. However, they are unable to do much about the situation because they do not have full details on the contents of the budget as well.