2017 Budget Increased

Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, yesterday explained that the National Assembly increased the 2017 budget from N7.3 trillion to N7.45 trillion because it opted to capture some important projects such as the second Abuja airport runway in the budget.

Lawan told journalists in the State House that the second Abuja Airporunway andand other projects were covered from the difference in the $42.5 oil benchmark proposed by the executive and the $44.5 passed by the legislature.

“We have been able to capture for example the second Abuja airport runway which we all need in this country; we have suffered from having only one,”

“We have also been able to capture in the national assembly from that fund the completion of the Baro inland port. We have also been able to also include the Abeokuta airport. There are so many other things including the Warri– Aladja rail line and so on and so forth.

“These are newly introduced capital projects from the proceeds, the difference between the $44.5 (passed by the national assembly) and the $42.5 benchmark that we received from the executive.

“So, we have done fantastically well. There were no major issues like we had last year during the processing of the budget.’’