FG says 100% Implementation of the just signed Budget Still Possible

Senator Udo Udoma, Minister of Budget and National Planning

The Federal Government said on Saturday that it has not ruled out the 100 per cent implementation of the 2016 budget signed on Friday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, gave the assurance in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Akpandem James.

Udoma in the statement debunked some newspapers reports credited to him that full implementation of the 2016 budget had been ruled out.

“The Federal Government aims, and will be working, to achieve 100 per cent implementation of the 2016 budget in spite of the late signing of the 2016 Appropriation Bill. This clarification becomes necessary to clear the misrepresentation by some newspapers that full implementation of the budget has been ruled out because of the late start,” he said.

Udoma explained, while responding to questions from State House correspondents on Friday, that he had “conceded that the late approval might constrain full implementation of the budget”.

The minister, however, pointed out that he had, at the same time, said “the Federal Government intends to still try its best to achieve 100 per cent implementation”.

According to him, at no time did he rule out the possibility of full implementation as indicated by one or two newspapers.