The Nigerian House of Representatives will begin the 2025 budget defence sessions with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
The sessions aim to scrutinize budget proposals to ensure alignment with the nation’s developmental priorities.
Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, made this known during an interview with journalists following a meeting with committee chairmen in Abuja.
Bichi disclosed that the budget defence exercise will run until January 17, after which harmonization of reports is scheduled for January 22. The final report from the Appropriations Committee is expected to be presented to the House at plenary on January 31.
“We have just concluded the inaugural meeting for the 2025 Appropriation Bill, which the President presented to us. Starting tomorrow, we will commence the budget defence sessions with all MDAs.
By January 22, we plan to harmonize the reports, and, God willing, the final report will be laid before the House by January 31,” Bichi stated.
He assured Nigerians of a thorough and detailed review of the proposed budget, emphasizing its focus on infrastructure development and other critical national objectives.
“We are committed to studying the budget meticulously. It is for Nigerians’ development, and I am confident they will be pleased with the outcome,” he said.
The Appropriations Committee chairman also issued a stern warning to agencies that fail to appear for their budget defence sessions, noting that such entities would face sanctions.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had presented the N49.74 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2024.
The House passed the budget through its second reading on December 19, 2024, and referred it to the Appropriations Committee, with all Standing Committees serving as sub-committees for further legislative action.
The House aims to ensure that the budget aligns with the administration’s goals of fostering infrastructure development and promoting economic growth across the nation.
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