Missing Budget: Senate C’ttee Submits Report Thursday

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, disclosed on Wednesday that report from the committee to search for the misplaced 2016 budget would be submitted on Thursday.

Saraki said the committee was set up to probe the controversy over the Senate’s copy of the document that was reported missing.

According to him, copies of the document would be distributed to members as from Thursday, and the three-day debate on the 2016 Appropriation Bill will commence next Tuesday.

The Senate President made this known after Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information, Enyinnaya Abaribe, raised a point of order, drawing the attention of the Senate to the media report insinuating that the document was indeed, missing from the red chamber.

Abaribe said, “The matter that I refer to is what is in every newspaper today, everywhere in all the talk shows on radio, of a missing budget and therefore Mr. President, I want to bring to your attention and all my colleagues that yesterday (Tuesday) at our close session, this matter also came up.”

He added, “Some of us have been inundated by messages from our constituents who are really worried about what their fate will be in 2016, and are asking about the whereabouts of the budget document. That is why I think it is definite and it is urgent that we look into this matter.”

Responding, Saraki said, “You know we are all part of the decision at the close session yesterday (Tuesday) and as part of that decision, we are still waiting for those we have referred to carry out the assignment to come back to us.

“I think they will come back to us by tomorrow and we will go into a closed session, finish up the report and we will be able to debate it properly.”