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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Bukola Sarak and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, discussed issues of national importance few hours ago including the 2017 budget as well as ambassadorial nominees.
The meeting which lasted over 40 minutes, Saraki said was mainly to update the President on the activities of the National Assembly while he was away.
The Senate had on February 8th concluded the screening of 46 ambassadorial nominees but were yet to submit the report and transmit to Senate in plenary for confirmation.
President Buhari had on January 12 resent the nominees’ list to the senate for confirmation after it was first rejected.
Speaking to State House correspondents on why they visited the Presidential Villa, Saraki said, “After being away for a while is good for us to meet and generally review things that were done in his absence, so is normal consultation”.
Asked to confirm from a medical doctor point of view if the President was fit to continue working, the Senate President replied, “I came here to discuss the issues regarding the activities in the National Assembly in his absence, the president met with us and I think we were there for over 40 minutes. I was not talking to myself so you know he was responding and we were engaging and he engaged us very well. We discussed issues of national interests so we are happy to see him back and he is back at the office and he is doing his work”.
On what to expect now that the president is back, Saraki said, “Well, the budget is ongoing, things that we passed in his absence, the issue of the CJN (Chief Justice of Nigeria), the Eurobond, just general issues that are pending, the issue of the ambassadorial nominees that is due, the stability in the Niger Delta a whole range of issues were covered in the short period of time”.
On when the budget  would be passed, he replied, “We are working on it and our target is still this month and we are working very hard to ensure we meet that deadline”.
Dogara, on his part who said he was not the Presidential Villa to assess the President, said fights between the executive and the legislature was allowed provided is in the interest of the people.
“I have always said this even before Mr. President that in other climes it is always the province of the legislature to fight the executive, we fight on issues bothering on national interests but we expect to cooperate more than we fight in the interest of our people to ensure that there is progress, one government no division. So it is in the realization of this that we will always extend the needed support to ensure that he succeeds so that our government will be rated as a successful one”.