The Nigerian House of Representatives will commence the 2025 budget defence sessions with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday, January 7. The exercise aims to scrutinize budget proposals and ensure alignment with national priorities.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Mr. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, disclosed this in an interview with journalists after a meeting with committee chairmen in Abuja.
He said that the budget defence will last till January 17 and reports from the exercise may be harmonised on January 22, while the Appropriations Committee’s report would be laid at plenary on January 31st.
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He gave the assurance that the panel and standing committees would be thorough with the budget defence in the interest of Nigerians.
“We just had the inauguration meeting today for the 2025 Appropriation Bill which you have been aware that the President has presented the budget to us, and by tomorrow we will start the budget defence with all the MDAs. From tomorrow to the 17th, we are going to do our budget defence, and we will likely harmonise on the 22nd. God’s willing, by the 31st, we are going to lay our reports.
“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.
Bichi said the parliament will scrutinize the proposed budgetary expenditure, revenues, and other issues contained in the 2025 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said, “We just had an integration meeting today for the 2025 appropriation bills, of which you have been aware that the president has presented the budget to us, and by tomorrow we’ll start the budget defence by all the MDAs. From tomorrow to the 17th, we are going to do our budget defence and we will likely harmonize by the 22nd.
“But what we do first is we complete our reports. Now we are going to study the budget; all our committees will study the budget and I believe the budget is for Nigerians; it’s for development infrastructures and other important things and I’m sure Nigeria will be happy with it.”
Mr Bichi noted that agencies that failed to appear for budget defence would be sanctioned.
The exercise is expected to be harmonised on January 22, while the Appropriations Committee’s report will be laid at plenary on January 31st.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had presented the N49.74 trillion
2025 Budget (Appropriation Bill) before a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2024.
The House passed the budget through a second reading on December 19, 2024, and referred it to the Appropriations Committee with all Standing Committees as sub-committees for further legislative action.
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