Teddy Oscar, Abuja
The green chambers of the National Assembly will, on Tuesday, November 12, play host to a joint session of the National Assembly as President Goodluck Jonathan addresses the lawmakers to present the proposed the 2014 Budget of N4,497,115 trillion.
This was contained in a two-paragraph letter Jonathan sent to Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, speaker of the House of Representatives.
“I write to crave your kind indulgence to grant me the slot of 12:00 noon on Tuesday, 12th November, 2013 to enable me (to) formally address a joint session of the National Assembly on the 2014 Budget.
“While thanking the honourable members of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic for the constancy of their support, please accept, Rt. Hon. Speaker, the assurances of my highest consideration,” the letter reads.
Speaking of the proposed visit of the President, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, deputy speaker of the House tasked committees, which were yet to turn in the reports of their oversight functions to do so before the arrival of the President.
Ihedioha, who presided over the affairs on the floor of the House, expressed disappointment that only 10 out 90 committees have been able to turn in their reports from the oversight functions.
It would be recalled that in order to appraise the 2013 Budget, the House embarked on two separate oversight functions in the months of September and October.
If the proposed visit of Jonathan sees the light of the day, it would mean that the presentation of the 2014 Budget in 2013 would be done a month later than the President did so in 2012.
Recall that on October 10, 2012, Jonathan presented an estimated 2013 Budget of N4.92 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
