Senate proposes 20% of annual budgets as constituency projects

THE Senate has passed a bill seeking the reservation of at least 20 per cent of annual budget for constituency projects through the second reading.

The lawmakers, who considered the bill sponsored by Senator Stella Odua, subsequently passed the bill to the committees on Appropriation and Finance, for further legislative work. The committees were given four weeks to return the bill.

If approved before the passage of the 2017 budget, the constituencies could get up to N1.4 trillion of the N7.2 trillion budget being proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Also on Thursday, the Senate approved Wednesday, December 14, for the president to present the 2017 budget, though the lawmakers were yet to complete work on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) in accordance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The bill by Senator Odua, which passed the second reading stage, provides that the government shall dedicate at least 20 per cent of annual budget as constituency projects.