Budget Presentation: Our constituents are living through difficult times — Speaker tells Tinubu

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, says Nigerians are living through difficult times and called for a focus of the budget on social welfare.

Mr Abbas said this on Wednesday during the presentation of the 2024 budget proposal by President Bola Tinubu.

President Tinubu’s removal of petroleum subsidy and unification of the exchange rate has led to an upward swing in the cost of living in Nigeria.

The speaker warned that the budget should not just be seen as “a mere financial document.” He added that the budget must “resolve to address the most critical needs of our long-suffering citizens.”

“Mr. President, it is a well-known fact that millions of our constituents are living through incredibly difficult times. For this reason, they also look to the Tinubu-led government to provide quick and sustainable solutions,” Abbas said.

Speaking on the request of the president for the passage of the budget before December 31, Abbas said the president should ensure the MDAs appear before the committees for hearings.

“Mr. President, let me, on behalf of my colleagues in the National Assembly, assure you that we will give this bill the utmost priority it deserves. While we would give it accelerated consideration, we will diligently scrutinise it alongside Nigerians to ensure that when it is passed, it will be a budget that best addresses the most critical needs of our people,” Abbas said.