2018 budget: Buhari in dinner meeting with NASS leadership

President Muhammadu Buhari has met over a dinner with the leadership of the National Assembly ostensibly over his impending presentation of the 2018 budget to the legislature.

Attendees at the dinner organized at the Banquet Hall of the presidential villa, Abuja on Tuesday were led by Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, accompanied by other principal officers of the both chambers of the National Assembly.

A similar dinner that had been scheduled for last week was ill-fated as the lawmakers had a brush with presidential villa security operatives who insisted on body screening, leading them to storm out of the premises.

They had driven in a Toyota Coaster bus when the security personnel demanded that they should alight to be screened one by one which they declined before turning back at the gate.

However, Chief of Staff to the president, Abba Kyari later succeeded in bringing back the presiding officers for a short meeting with the president who then tendered his apology to them for the incident.

The president was said to have later instructed the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari to collect the names of all the principal officers of both houses for the purpose of issuing them with a villa pass for unrestricted access.

Saraki confirmed that the issue that led to the embarrassment had been sorted out and the dinner has been fixed for Tuesday.