The Senate this morning accepted the amended 2016 budget from President Muhamadu Buhari, ostensibly ending the drama that arose from the surreptitious withdrawal of the original document by the Presidency and the smuggling in of a doctored version rejected last week by the Senate.

The amended 2016 budget was read on the floor of Senate minutes ago by President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who also read aletter to that effect from President Buhari. Saraki therafter asked Senate Leader Ali Ndume “to ensure that the copies of the corrected document are circulated today, for record purposes, so that the Senate would begin debate on it tomorrow, Wednesday.”

Saraki said that “the most important thing is the content of the budget and how it improves the lives of Nigerian citizens.”

President Buhari in his letter said that the “draft bill remains the same and there are no changes in figures.”

The letter reads: ª“It will be recalled that on Tuesday, 22 December, 2015, I presented my 2016 budget proposals to the joint sitting of the national assembly. I submitted a draft bill accompanied by a schedule of details.

“At the time of submission, we indicated that because the details had just been produced, we would have had to check to ensure that there were no errors in the detailed breakdown contained in the schedule.

“That has since been completed and I understand that the corrections have been submitted.”

•Photo shows Senate President Saraki.