THE 8TH SENATE PASSED THE 2017 APPROPRIATION BILL-SARAKI.{PHOTO}

             The Senate President made this information to all on his social media yesterday.He wrote ''the 8th Senate passed the 2017 Appropriation Bill and fulfiled its promise to Open NASS.When we came into Office on the 9th of June,2015,we promised Nigerians that we would continue to remain committed to running an institution that is transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people.With the budget release,we have kept this promise,and this is what we will continue to do.I thank the Appropriation Committee and Sub-Committees of the Senate for a job well done on this 2017 Budget process.As much as this budget is a Budget of Growth and Recovery,it is also a Budget of firsts.This year,we had the first-ever Joint Public Hearing on the National Budget that allowed Civil Society Organizations and the public to make direct recommendations to the budget.This was also the first time since 1999 that the budget and its detail were laid on the floor of both legislative chambers.Another first is that this budget cycle was the first time that the line-by-line details of the National Assembly were laid and made available to the public.I appreciate the cooperation from members of the Executive and the remarkable change that we witnessed from the 2016 budget process.Additionally,I commend all Nigerians for their patience and understanding during the 2017 Budget process.Moving forward,although the 2016 budget process has been commendable in terms of its implementation,it is my hope that the 2017 budget cycle will see better implementation and positively impact the lives of all Nigerians.