Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Senate would receive the N54.2 trillion 2025 budget report from its Committee on Appropriations for possible passage into law this week.
The president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who dropped the hint during plenary on Tuesday, said the Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola, APC Ogun West, is expected to present the report on Wednesday or Thursday.
President Bola Tinubu had on December 18, 2024 presented a total budget of N49.7 trillion to a joint sitting of the National Assembly but later increased it to N54.2 trillion, citing additional revenue of N4.5 trillion from the generating agencies like the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS; Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS and other Government Owned Enterprises, GOEs.
Akpabio, in his remarks after debate on a bill seeking for the establishment of a Federal University of Agriculture in Abak, Akwa Ibom State, on Tuesday, said there was need for them to quickly end the debate for final work on the 2025 budget.
“You will observe that some of our colleagues are not in the chamber because of the required final touches on the 2025 Appropriation Bill, the report of which will be laid before us tomorrow (Wednesday) or next tomorrow (Thursday) this week.
“So, we need to close early to allow for collective efforts in that direction for final consideration and passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill,” he said.
Recall that both the Senate and the House of Representatives had earlier fixed January 31, 2025 for passage of the N49.7 trillion earlier proposed budget for 2025 by President Tinubu.
However, before the date, both chambers shifted their resumption from Christmas and New Year recess from January 31, 2025 to February 4, 2025, the very day they both received communication from the President on increase of total expenditure profile of the proposed budget from N49.7trillion to N54.2trillion.
Both Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas in their separate remarks after reading the letter, said the budget proposals would have to be reprocessed for inclusion of additional N4.5 trillion.
Specifically, Akpabio, after reading the letter, urged the committee on Appropriations to expedite action on the request for possible passage of the budget before the end of February.
Apparently in line with the expeditious consideration of the request, Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday, announced that report on the now increased budget size of N54.2 trillion will be laid in the Senate on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
