FG Denies Withdrawing 2016 Budget From NASS

The Federal Government has described reports that the 2016 budget has been called back by President Muhammadu Buhari as a “big lie”.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, told Daily Trust in an interview on Monday that “there is nothing like that.”

There were reports in a section of the media that the 2016 Appropriation Bill was recalled from the National Assembly, NASS, following certain “alterations” discovered.

It was alleged that the President never digested the controversial N6.08 trillion budget before presenting it on December 22, 2015. According to the reports, after receiving public backlash, Buhari was forced to secretly withdrawn the budget and is expected to present it again before the end of January.

But Mohammed told Daily Trust in a phone chat said, “It is a big lie. There is nothing like that. We don’t know where they are getting that story”

Speaking in the same vein, Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume said it is impossible to withdraw the budget, but can only be adjusted.

“It is not a document that you can just write and say you are withdrawing it. The budget proposal that has been laid at a joint session of the National Assembly cannot just be withdrawn like that. Budget proposal is not a document that is sacrosanct. You can adjust it and this is why it is before us. During the budget defence, it can be adjusted if need be,” Ndume said.