As Finance Minister consults NASS leadership on 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP

***Buhari to sign revised 2020 budget today

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA- THE Federal Government told the Senate yesterday that President Muhammadu will present before the joint National Assembly, the 2021 Appropriation Bill.

Disclosing this year in Abuja while briefing principal officers of the Senate and House of Representatives led by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed said that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Ministry to expedite action on next year’s budget estimates to enable him to present the 2021 budget proposal

The Minister met with the leadership of the National Assembly on plans to submit the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) later this month.

Ahmed further disclosed that in keeping strictly with the January – December budget cycle, the President will today sign into law, the revised N10.8 trillion budget for the year 2020 passed by the National Assembly in June.

The Minister said, “This for us is a journey towards ensuring that the progress that we have made as a collective to return the fiscal year to January – December is maintained for the 2021 budget as well.

“The President has directed that we must deliver the budget to the National Assembly by the end of September,” the Finance Minister said.

Ahmed while giving an update on the 2020 budget implementation between January and May 2020, stated that the Federal Government’s retained revenue was N1.48 trillion, an amount representing 56 percent of government’s target.

According to her, out of the sum generated as revenue, oil revenues accounted for N701.6 billion; non-oil tax revenues N439.32 billion; Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) collections – N213.24 billion and N68.09 billion; and Customs collection N158 billion, respectively.

She said, “Other revenues amounted to N339.51 billion, of which Independent revenues were N80.22 billion. Recoveries and Stamp duty collected during the period are yet to be booked in the fiscal accounts.”

On Expenditure performance for the same period (January – May 2020), Ahmed who disclosed that N1.25 trillion was expended for debt service; and N1.32 trillion for Personnel cost, including Pensions, said that as at the end of May 2020, only N253.33 billion had been released for capital expenditure.

Ahmed while giving underlying assumptions driving the macro-economic parameters and targets of the 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, said the same was “revised in line with the emergent realities.”

She stated that the Oil Price Benchmark for the 2021 fiscal year was pegged at USD$35; and USD$40 for 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Oil Production (mbpd) was placed at 1.86 for 2021, 2.09 for 2022, and 2.38 for the 2022 fiscal year; while the Exchange Rate remains at N360 to USD$1.

Ahmed stressed that “although Nigeria’s total production capacity is 2.5 million barrels per day, current crude production is about 1.4 million barrels per day – in compliance with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ production quota – and an additional 300,000 barrels per day of condensates, totaling about 1.7mbpd.”

According to her, while the World Bank forecasts that crude oil prices will rise gradually from an average of USD$42 per barrel in 2021 to USD$44.5 per barrel in 2022; and USD$47pb in 2023, it is also expected that Brent crude oil prices may average $41 per barrel during the second half of 2020 and $50pb during 2021, climbing as high as $53pb by the end of next year.

“The nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to increase from N130,836.1 billion in 2020 to N132,125.4 billion in 2021 and then up to N138,415.8 billion in 2023,” Ahmed said.

Earlier, the Senate President in his remarks said, “this meeting is holding at the instance of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the main purpose of the meeting is for the Minister to brief the leadership of the National Assembly on the 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.

“Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that the journey to the presentation of the 2021 budget estimates by the Executive arm of Government has started in earnest.

“It is our expectation in the National Assembly, that this journey will lead to the presentation or laying of the budget estimates by the President before the end of September by the grace of God.”

Year in year out, this old fool and his Corrupt gang just kept on releasing useless budget and lavishing public money on themselves alone.
The number is people in government looting the country (which is 80% Hausa-fulani) is even almost the same number with the total civil servants.

THE COUNTRY SERIOUSLY NEEDS REFORM AND REVOLUTION.

All these old fool generation leaders has absolutely nothing good to offer.
THERE ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APC AND PDP.
It's just the same party, with the same useless old fools under different names.
95% of these politicians have one time or the other switched between the two names so, IT'S JUST A RECYCLING PROCESS

With the continuation of these SENSELESS recycling process, nothing good can ever come out of this country. The earlier some of these SENSELESS youths fighting for the old fool generation rouges realizes this, the better.

IpobOsuIgbo:

Year in year out, this old fool and his Corrupt gang just kept on releasing useless budget and lavishing public money on themselves alone.
The number is people in government looting the country (which is 80% Hausa-fulani) is even almost the same number with the total civil servants.

THE COUNTRY SERIOUSLY NEEDS REFORM AND REVOLUTION.

All these old fool generation leaders has absolutely nothing good to offer.
THERE ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APC AND PDP.
It's just the same party, with the same useless old fools under different names.
95% of these politicians have one time or the other switched between the two names so, IT'S JUST A RECYCLING PROCESS

With the continuation of these SENSELESS recycling process, nothing good can ever come out of this country. The earlier some of these SENSELESS youths fighting for the old fool generation rouges realizes this, the better.

princeade86:
What did they implement in 2020 budgets.