- House fixes Jan. 7 For Commencement Of Budget Defence
THE NATIONAL Assembly has set January 31 as the tentative date for passage of the N49.7 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill presented to its joint session by President Bola Tinubu on Dec. 18, 2024.
Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Solomon Adeola, stated this on Monday in Abuja at a meeting with the chairmen of standing committees in the senate.
According to him, Jan. 31 is the date for laying of reports on the appropriation bill before the senate and the House of Representatives.
He said upon resumption from Christmas and New Year break on Jan. 14, both chambers of the national assembly would suspend plenary for two weeks for budget defence by ministries departments and agencies (MDAs).
Adeola also said that NASS had fixed Jan. 9 for an open day on the budget to enable various stakeholders, aside heads of MDAs, to make inputs on the budget.
“A tentative time table has been drawn for consideration of the budget at committee level.
“Budget defence sessions begin from Jan. 7, while reports from various committees are expected to be submitted from 15th to 18th of this month.
“Afterwards, collation and tidying up of the various reports will be done by the appropriation committee, with the hope of laying final report on the budget at the senate on 31st of this month.
“However, the 31st of January fixed for laying of the budget is tentative, as it is just given to guide our work,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the principal officers of the senate who attended the meeting included: the Deputy Leader, Sen. Lola Ashiru and Senate Whip, Sen. Tahir Monguno.
They said that the timeframe for consideration and passage of the 2025 budget by the national assembly was short.
They, however, expressed hope on the timely passage of the budget.
NAN reports that the committee, thereafter, went into a closed session with chairmen of the various standing committees in the senate.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has fixed Jan. 7 for commencement of the 2025 budget defence by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Abubakar Bichi (APC-Kano) stated this in Abuja on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Bola Tinubu had on Dec. 18, 2024, presented the 2025 Appropriation Bill of the N49.74 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly.
NAN also reports that the appropriation bill passed the second reading in the house of representatives on Dec. 19, 2024 after which it was referred it to the appropriations committee, with all the standing committees as sub-committees, for further legislative action.
Bichi said that the budget defence would last till Jan. 17, adding that reports from the exercise might be harmonised on Jan. 22.
He further stated that the appropriations committee’s report would be laid at plenary on Jan. 31.
“We are commencing from tomorrow (Tuesday) to 17th of this month, and we expect that all the MDAs, both the ministers and head of agencies, will come to defend their budgets.
“This will be as directed by the president so that we know what they did in 2024 and what they are going to do in 2025.
“We just had the inauguration meeting today for the 2025 appropriation bill which you were aware that the president had presented to us.
“We are going to study the budget; all our committees will study the budget.
“I believe the budget is for Nigerians, for our development, infrastructure and other important things, and I am sure Nigerians will be happy with it,” Bichi said.
The lawmaker said that the house might pass the budget by the end of January or early February. (NAN)
