The Senate has indicated that wirk will commence on the general principles of the 2018 Appropriation Bill next week.
Bukola Saraki, Senate President, made the announcement in plenary yesterday, saying that the consideration of the budget would begin on Wednesday, 22nd November 2017 and end on Thursday, 23 November, 2017.
He asked Senators wishing to contribute to the debate on the general principle of the  Bill to indicate so by writing their names in the register.
Aliyu Abdullahi, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, explained that copies of the budget as presented by President Muhammadu Buhari, would be distributed to the Senators.
Abdullahi said all senators should have been given copies of the fiscal document, but for the voluminous nature of the budget, saying the President presented two copies of the budget, one for the Senate and the other for the House of Representatives.
He said copies of the budget were already being mass produced, assuring that by next week, debate would commence.
On the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, MTEF, which is yet to be approved, Abdullahi said it would be considered along side the budget.
President Buhari on November 7 presented a budget of N8.612 trillion to the joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives for the 2018 fiscal year.
The National Assembly is expected to pass the budget before the end of 2017, or early next year to enable the Executive begin its implementation.