Budget: National Assembly, Presidency move to avert veto

Taiwo Adisa, Abuja - 25.03.2008

THE Presidency and the National Assembly have begun moves aimed at averting the exercise of veto by the President on the 2008 budget. The development is coming on the heels of the declaration by the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Anthony Manzo, that the National Assembly was not hoarding information on the budget for the President.

Senator Manzo, who spoke in a telephone interview, said the budget was a public document, adding that the process of the passage was also open for all to see.

“I read just like many of us that there are certain information required by the President before he assents to the budget. I can assure you that the information on the budget are readily available. They are public documents and the National Assembly was transparent enough during the process of the passage of this budget. None of our sittings was held in camera, we were open for all to see and the President can easily be served the details he required,” Senator Manzo said.

If the President had gone ahead to veto the budget bill, it was gathered that the legislators would have no other option than to override the veto in line with constitutional provisions.

Sources in Abuja confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that machineries were immediately put in motion for the demands by the President to be met immediately the legislature got notice of the demands.

The Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Yomi Ogunyomi, who is acting for the Clerk, Alhaji Nasir Arab, was said to have put in motion machineries to ensure that the details required by the presidency were supplied.