Budget presentation to be COVID-19 compliant, says Gbajabiamila

Rep Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has said that the 2021 budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly would be COVID-19 compliant.

The Speaker said this on Wednesday in Abuja while reading a letter of the proposed budget presentation from the president to members at plenary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buhari will on Oct. 8, present the 2021 appropriation bill to the joint session of the National Assembly at 11.00 am with full compliance to COVID-19 protocol.

Gbajabiamila said that members would be mandated to wear their face masks as part of compliance to COVID-19 protocol.

The speaker said that an abridged version of the budget would be presented by the President so that everything could be done within one hour.

He said that both the chairman of the National Assembly and President of the Senate, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, and he would also present abridged versions of their speeches.

This according to him is to reduce the time during the presentation as COVID-19 did not allow crowded environment.

According to him, the budget presentation will not be the usual annual presentation; it will be abridged because of the need to comply with COVID-19 guidelines.
He also said that there would be room for social distancing as members would be allowed to sit in the gallery.

Gbajabiamila said that the presentation is expected to begin at 11.00 am.