FEC fine-tunes 2023 budget proposals ahead of presentation to NASS

By Adeleye Kunle

From all indications, the Federal Government has settled for an early transmission of the 2023 budgetary appropriations to the National Assembly this week Friday.

Although the government still has a window of few weeks to do the presentation, the budget proposal was thoroughly scrutized at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC), meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, gave the inkling when he addressed State House Correspondents after the week’s meeting, but kept details of the actual figures settled for to his heart.

The Presidential spokesman jokingly said Wednesday’s FEC of today was a one-item-meeting.

He cleverly avoided disclosing if Council approved the budgetary figures exactly as proposed by the Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning but noted that those required to fine-tune all its aspects were asked to make all necessary imputes and make it ready for the President’s presentation, scheduled for Friday.

“Good afternoon, colleagues and friends. It was virtually a one item for the Executive Council meeting in which the budget proposals for 2023 was presented and discussed, at length.

“That budget proposal will be taken to the National Assembly on Friday morning by Mr. President. So, it will not be proper to begin to discuss the contents of what will be officially presented on Friday.

“So, that is the information I have for us; that we won’t have the traditional briefing of what happened at the Council because it’s about a budget that will be presented on Friday morning. We’ll want to give the National Assembly that honour of receiving it first”, he said.

Asked when it would be appropriate for the Executive to present the Budget proposals to Nigerians and whether FEC gave it’s approval for the document to be presented to the National Assembly, the Presidential spokesman said the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning would give breakdown after the presentation had been down before the Legislature