The Presidency on Friday evening confirmed the receipt of the 2018 Appropriation Bill from the National Assembly.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, confirmed the development to State House Correspondents at about 8.30pm on Friday.
“I have received the budget on behalf of the Presidency. I am transmitting it now,” the presidential aide simply said.
With the development, officials of the executive arm of government are expected to scrutinise the document alongside the one submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly last year.
The scrutiny will be done on ministry-by-ministry basis after which the Ministry of Budget and National Planning will then advise the President whether to sign the bill into law or return it to the National Assembly for amendment.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, had on Thursday said the National Assembly would transmit the 2018 Appropriation Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.
Saraki said this in an interview with State House correspondents after breaking the Ramadan fast with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He was answering a question on how soon the document will be transmitted to the President.
“I think that should have been done, we had to harmonise, its just a slight difference. It has been passed yesterday(Wednesday).
“It was in the rules and proceedings of today (Thursday) so I am sure by tomorrow (Friday), we will transmit it to the Presidency,” Saraki said .
The two chambers of the National Assembly had last week passed the document.
The lawmakers also raised the total figure from N8.6ten to N9.1trn, six months after it was presented to them.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, had on Wednesday said the President had yet to receive the document from the lawmakers.
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