Buhari to present 2023 Budget Bill in September

Barring any change, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the 2023 appropriation to the National Assembly in September.

The Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, said this on Monday in Abuja at training on budget preparation using the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System.

The two-day nationwide training on budget preparation is organised for over four thousand budget officers drawn from about nine hundred ministries, departments and agencies of the government.

Akabueze who was represented by the Director, Expenditure (Socials) in the Budget Office, Mr Fabian Ogbu, said the federal government under Buhari is determined to ensure consistent and timely preparation, submission and approval of annual budgets as part of its Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms.

Akabueze, however, said it was unfortunate that MDAs do not study the Budget Call Circular in detail and as such make mistakes that should ordinarily be avoided if they had complied with the relevant sections of the Budget Circular.

He said, “The main goal of this training is to provide continuous learning to equip budget personnel with the requisite knowledge, skills and the tools they require to prepare and submit the 2023 budget.

“It has been observed that MDAs do not study the budget circular in detail, as such make mistakes that should ordinarily be avoided if they had complied with relevant sections of the budget cycle.”

Akabueze said the 2023 budget is also being prepared in tandem with extant federal government policies and guidelines as articulated in the 2023 Budget Call Circular and other relevant laws/regulations.