The Senate is looking forward to receiving from its committee on Appropriations, Wednesday or Thursday this week, a report on the N54.2 trillion 2025 budget estimates.
Recall, President Bola Tinubu, last week, requested an upward review of the earlier submitted 2025 budget estimate of N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion to cover concerned areas.
Addressing plenary on Tuesday, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, gave the assurance after debate on a bill seeking for the establishment of a federal University of Agriculture in Abak, Akwa Ibom State.
Akpabio explained that there was a 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, a 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 Bola 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 President Bola Tinubu on increase of total expenditure profile of the proposed budget from N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion.
Both Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives , Hon Tajudeen Abbas in their separate remarks after reading the letter , said the budget proposals would have to be reprocessed for inclusion of additional N4.5trillion.
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 a report on the now increased budget size of N54.2 trillion will be laid in the Senate on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
