The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday in Abuja, said the 2017 budget approved by the National Assembly on Thursday would usher in better development in the country.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that rather than criticise the budget, Nigerians should commend the lawmakers and APC leadership for making it open for public scrutiny before it was passed.

Abdullahi dismissed insinuations that the budget may have been padded by the lawmakers and said that the National Assembly deserved commendation.

He said that Nigerians were able to know how much was allocated to each sector of the economy, “because for the first time in Nigeria’s democratic history, its budget was open to public for scrutiny.”

This, he said, was not possible before now, adding that the APC was proud of the development.

“By making the budget available to the public for scrutiny, they are demonstrating that we meant it when our party said we are going to operate within the principle of probity and accountability.

“What happened at the National Assembly is unprecedented because for the first time, Nigerians are seeing the details of the budget and this should be commended,” Abdullahi said.

NAN recalls that in passing the 2017 Appropriation Bill, the assembly raised the figure from N7.30 trillion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Dec. 14, 2016, when he presented it, to N7.44 trillion. (NAN)

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