Tight security at National Assembly as Buhari presents 2020 budget proposal

Security has been beefed up in and around the National Assembly complex ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to present the 2020 budget proposal.

Mr Buhari is to present the proposal before a joint session of the Assembly on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that combined teams of security agencies have been deployed at the three entrances into the complex.

Away from the normal routine checks at the gate, heavy security officials, comprising men of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps among others are stationed at the entry points leading to the National Assembly complex.

The entry points are the main gate overlooking the Federal Secretariat, the entrance through the SGF office on Aso Drive and the back gate connecting the Presidential Villa.

A NAN correspondent reports that entry into the complex has been limited to only persons whose names are on accreditation lists submitted by different units in the Assembly.

Journalists and staff of the National Assembly without tags were turned back at the first gate to the Assembly.

NAN observed that branches of banks within the complex were all closed for the President’s visit.

NAN also reports that the Senate had on Thursday, approved the 2020 to 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper(FSP).

The approval followed the adoption of a 16-point recommendation by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning which considered the MTEF and FSP documents.

Part of the recommendations approved by the Senate was to increase the Federal Government’s total expenditure estimates in the MTEF/FSP from N10 trillion to N10.729 trillion.