PRESIDENT TINUBU REITERATES HIS COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING A TIMEOUS, EFFICIENT BUDGET CYCLE 01-01-24
By Sadiq Aminu President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his avowed commitment to maintaining a timeous, predictable, and efficient budget cycle.
President Tinubu restated his commitment to maintaining the cycle while signing the 2024 budget into law, shortly after returning to Abuja from Lagos, where he spent the Christmas holiday.
The President assured Nigerians that the implementation of the budget would be efficiently pursued and vigorously monitored, saying that institutional mechanisms shall be held to account in ensuring diligent implementation.
“All MDA’s have been directed to take responsibility and provide monthly Budget Performance Reports to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which in turn shall ensure the veracity of such. The Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy shall hold regular reviews with the Economic Management Team and, in addition, I shall Chair periodic Economic Coordination Council meetings,” he said.
He said the the top priorities of the 2024 budget of N28.7 trillion were defence and internal security, job creation, macro-economic stability, improved investment environment, human capital development, poverty reduction, and social security.
The President emphasized that his commitment to enhance investment promotion while creating a rules-based society that would favour no individual over the law would begin with important reforms in the judiciary, the funding for which is captured in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
“Funding the judiciary is a major element in our effort to support a just, rules-based society. Statutory transfer to the Judiciary has been increased from 165 billion naira to 342 billion naira,” the President said.
The President said some of the key estimates captured were 10 trillion Naira for recurrent expenditure, 8.8 trillion Naira for debt service, 8.2 trillion, and 1.7 trillion Naira for statutory transfers,.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were present at the signing.
Other senior government officials present at the brief ceremony include: Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.