President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan has said the public, as well as the private sectors need a reliable Budget cycle that is predictable, and reliable for planning and execution of their fiscal and financial policies and programmes.

He said this on Tuesday at the presentation of the 2020 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari, to the National Assembly and the senate.

Senator Lawan, on behalf of his colleagues, Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, welcomed the president and members his entourage to this first Joint Session of the 9th National Assembly for the presentation of the 2020 Budget Estimates.

He stated that as representatives of the people, they are assembled to listen and receive the fiscal plans for the year 2020, for the people that they represent.

He told the president that today marks another day of exercising the constitutional obligations and mandates by both the Legislature and the Executive as provided in Section 81 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.

He disclosed that the function being the first in the 9th session of the National Assembly, makes it more significant as both the Legislature and the Executive have demonstrated readiness and commitment to work together in order to pass the 2020 Budget in a good and desirable time.

In his speech, he said the National Assembly, and the Executive must work together to ensure the realization of important objectives in the country.

He also read that the National Assembly after the receipt of the Budget Estimates will swing into swift action, to start work adding that bith Chambers of the National Assembly have constituted their Committees, and are ready to start processing the Budget estimates.

He also told the president that the National Assembly will treat the 2020 Budget Estimates with the same commitment or even more adding that they will also be guided by the legislative requirement of a thorough scrutiny.

He also said the 9th National Assembly has shown capacity, commitment and willingness to treat legislative matters that will impact on the lives of citizens with dispatch and every sense of urgency.

He reiterated the National Assembly Committees readiness to receive the Honourable Ministers and other heads of government agencies for the defense of the Budget estimates of the various MDAs.

He therefore urged all MDAs to appear before the Committees for the defense of their Budget estimates within the month of October.

Lawan said their Committees will be expected to conclude their work on Budget defense within October, this year, adding that the subsequent necessary legislative work will be carried out in November and December, leading to eventual passage before the end of this year.

He also told the president that recently, the Senate passed its Legislative Agenda and the House of Representatives will pass its Legislative Agenda soon adding that the agendas are separately treated, but the objectives and goals are the same.

He also pleads with the Federal Government to provide enhanced security for protection of lives and property of Nigerians.

He also charged the government to create and sustain employment opportunities for teeming youths; taking Nigerians out of poverty to prosperity and sustainable development.

He posited that the implementation of the Budget is as important and vital as the passage of the Bill, probably even more, noting that their Committees will work assiduously to undertake oversight to ensure proper and timely execution of the programmes and Government projects.

He therefore assured the president of the readiness of the members of the 9th National Assembly to partner with his administration to achieve all the goals and targets of taking Nigeria to the Next Level of development and prosperity.

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