Senate gives committees one week to submit 2017 budget reports

The Senate on Tuesday gave all standing committees one week to present and defend reports of the 2017 Budget of Ministries, Agencies and Departments(MDAs) under them before the Committee on Appropriation.
Deputy Senate President , Ike Ekweremadu, announced the deadline to the committees at plenary and urged them to abide by the ultimatum to enable the appropriation committee to put finishing touches to the reports.
According to him, the senate is committed to passing the 2017 Budget before the end of March. 
President Mohammadu Buhari presented the 2017 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly on Dec. 14, 2016.
Meanwhile, the senate has sent a seven-member delegation to pay a condolence visit on the family of late former governor of old Bendel, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia.
Members of the delegation, which would be led by the Chief Whip, Sen. Olusola Adeyeye, are Sen. Stella Oduah (Anambra-PDP), Sen. Umaru Kurfi (Katsina-APC) and Sen. Gbolahan Dada (Ogun-APC).
Others are Sen. Barnabas Gemade (Benue-APC), Sen. Abdulaziz Nyako (Adamawa-APC) and Sen. Ben Bruce (Bayelsa-PDP).
Ekweremadu announced that senators from Edo, who wish to join the delegation, could do so.
Ogbemudia was former military governor of defunct Midwest region, defunct Bendel State and civilian governor also of Bendel State.
He died on Thursday at a private hospital in Lagos at 84.