Buhari’s 2016 budget is ambitious, emphasis should be on non-oil revenue – Saraki

 The Senate President, Bukola Saraki has said that for the 2016 budget of President Muhammadu Buhari to be realistic and successful, emphasis should be placed on the non-oil and independent revenue generating sources.

Saraki, said this while speaking with a cross section of newsmen after commissioning the newly upgraded and refurbished senate press centre at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Noting that the 2016 budget proposal was ambitious, Saraki maintained that it could only be achieved if all that was necessary to make it work was put in place.
He stated that the 8th Senate would focus its attention on the revenue generating areas and ensure that all leakages were blocked.
Saraki, while speaking on how achievable the 2016 budget is, in view of the dwindling price of crude oil at the international market, said, “I think this is one of the reasons we are having the MDAs defend their proposals before the committees to be able to test some of the scenarios and some of the assumptions, particularly on the revenue side.
“If you look at the revenue, out of about N3.8trillion, N3trillion is coming from non-oil and independent revenue.
“The success of the budget, in my own view, is less on the benchmark. It is more on those two items, non-oil revenue and independent revenue, and that is why we directed our Committee on Finance and other relevant Committees to really scrutinize the revenue side.