Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says a decision is yet to be taken on the person who will sign the 2017 budget into law.
Since President Muhammadu Buhari transferred power to his deputy before embarking on an indefinite medical vacation, it is expected that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo will sign the budget into law.
But speaking with state house correspondents at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting, Mohammed said the national assembly was yet to transmit the budget to the presidency.
Asked who will sign the budget when the legislature sends it, Mohammed replied, “That decision will be taken when it is transmitted to the presidency.”
He said it was this morning that FEC was informed that the budget had been passed.
“In respect of the budget, it was only this morning that the minister of budget and national planning informed the council that the budget had been passed,” he said.
“He has not sent to us individually copies of the passed budget. We will now need to look at it against what we sent and if there is any discrepancy, we will report back to the minister of budget and national planning for harmonisation.”
On the implementation of the 2016 budget, he said, “The ministry of budget and national planning will make the implementation of the 2016 budget public. They have told us at the town hall meeting that about N1.2 trillion was released for capital.”
He also responded to a question on the delay in the inauguration of two new ministers, saying, “they will be sworn in due course.”
The two ministers – Stephen Ocheni (Kogi state) and Suleiman Zanna Hassan (Gombe state) – were confirmed by senate two weeks ago.
Ocheni replaced James Ocholi, former minister of state for labour, who died in a road crash in 2016, Hassan took over from Amina Mohammed who resigned as minister of environment, to assume office as deputy secretary-general of the United Nations (UN).