2016 budget: APC says its ‎budget of change

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has ‎hailed the N6.08 trillion 2016 budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to a joint-session of the 8th National Assembly.

This ‎is contained in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by the party’s Assistant Director Publicity, Mr Edegbe Odemwingie.

In the statement, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, assured that many of the promises made to the electorate by the party in the 2015 presidential campaign were contained in the proposed budget.

The statement assured that the current administration’s pro-people policies would be implemented in the 2016 financial year.

It said: “In fulfillment of APC’s election promises to the Nigerian electorate, the party welcomes the proposed social welfare programmes contained in the proposed 2016 National Budget submitted to the National Assembly.

”President Buhari has proposed N500 billion to pay unemployed Nigerian graduates (post-NYSC grant) and feed school children, among other social welfare programmes in 2016.

“A phased social welfare programme created to cater for a larger population of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians upon the evidence of children’s enrollment in school and evidence of immunisation has also been proposed to the National Assembly.

“President Buhari has also promised that 500,000 new teachers would be recruited.

“Compared to the last 16 years, Nigerians are getting a much better deal from the seven-month old APC-led administration. On the strength of these proposals, the future holds more dividends of democracy for Nigerians.

“It is reassuring that the Federal Government has recovered huge sums from looters of our common wealth, which will be injected into the 2016 National Budget,” it said.

The statement called for a speedy passage of the proposed budget.

It urged National Assembly to rise above political, regional and ethnic sentiments and pass the proposal in the best interest on Nigeria.

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‎”The APC hails the very cordial working relationship between the 8th National Assembly and the executive arm of government, specifically the president.”

It commended the president for presenting the budget personally.