Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday presented the 2014 budget estimate of N4.6tr to the National Assembly.

She laid the document on the table before the Senators during their plenary, presided over by Senate President David Mark.Mark said the action was in conformity with section 81 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which empowered the President to communicate the budget to the National Assembly.

Iweala, who was accompanied to the Senate by some of her colleagues in the cabinet and the Director-General of the Budget Office,  explained to journalists after her assignment that the aggregate expenditure of  N3.73tr was expected as revenue. She put the capital expenditure at about N1.1tr, which according to her, is about 27 per cent of the budget.

However, Nigerians are wont to asking “Is this finally the budget of salvation for the suffering millions? We pray so.