Buhari to preside over extra-ordinary FEC meeting tomorrow 

Barring any further changes in the planned presentation of the 2020 budget proposal to the National Assembly on Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari will tomorrow preside over an extra-ordinary Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja.

The meeting, according to the Presidency, is to put finishing touches to the year 2020 budget, slated to be presented to the National Assembly by 2 p.m on Tuesday.

The Extraordinary FEC, earlier scheduled to hold yesterday when President Buhari would have returned from his trip to South Africa, was shifted via a terse statement late Friday night.

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had last Tuesday explained that President Buhari would return to Abuja on Friday.

However, the Presidency in another statement signed by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina announced that the meeting had been shifted to Monday at 12 noon.

Council meetings usually hold on Wednesdays at 11am at the council chamber of the Presidential villa. The last time an extra-ordinary FEC held was in January this year, where the President launched the new enhanced security international e-passport with 10-year validity.

The budget presentation to the National Assembly was meant for the third week of September, but for President Buhari’s participation in the 74th United Nations General Assembly.

As a fallout of signing the 2017 budget into law by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while acting, the Executive and the Legislature had agreed to return to January–December budget calendar.

Nigeria currently runs a May-June budget cycle, a development caused by executive-legislature delays. The delays had caused what many see as “distortions” in implementation and the inability to meet budget targets.