The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the draft budget estimates for 2018.
This was revealed by the Minister of Budget and Planning, Senator Udoma Udoma, while briefing State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Thursday’s council meeting was postponed from Wednesday.
Udo Udoma said the Council will liaise with the National Assembly to determine when the president will submit the draft estimates for the consideration of the two chambers.
The minister, however, declined to comment on the details of the approved budget, saying the Nigerian constitution only allows the president to give out the details and he will do so when the National Assembly is ready to receive the draft.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (rtd) was reported absent at the Thursday FEC meeting.
The meeting, which started at 11:00am was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Presidency had said that Thursday’s meeting would discuss the 2018 Appropriation Bill.
At the time of filing this report, Dambazau was not in attendance.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, were present at the meeting.
Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had called on Buhari to suspend Dambazau and Malami over the reinstatement and deployment of the embattled former chairman of the presidential task force on pension reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.
The president had on Monday directed Maina’s immediate disengagement from service.
The Head of Service had earlier submitted a report on Maina saga to the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, as directed.