…Adjourns Till January 14
The Senate on Thursday passed the 2025 N49,740,165,355,396 Appropriation Bill for second reading after a debate on the general principles of the bill.
An abridged breakdown of the proposed budget read at plenary by the Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele listed N4,435,761,358,925 for Statutory Transfers
Debt Service to gulp N16,327,142,689,549, while N14,123,544,196,406 is for Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure. N14,853,717,110,517 was allocated to Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.
President Bola Tinubu had, on Wednesday, submitted the N49.7 trillion Appropriation bill to a joint session of the National Assembly.
During the debate, the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau commended President Tinubu’s foresight in allocating a hefty budget to defence and security.
Barau noted that peace and security are crucial to economic growth and the progress of the society.
“What we need to do after the passage is for us to come around and make sure that we do all that is humanly possible to ensure that the budget is fully implemented. I am sure by the time we implement this budget, this country will turn into a land of El Dorado, a land of plenty and prosperity,” Barau said.
Other senators who contributed to the debate also spoke along the same line.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who rounded off the debate thanked his colleagues for their contributions.
The budget proposal was then referred to the committee on Appropriation for further action.
Thereafter, Akpabio announced the commencement of the Senate’s end of the year break till January 14, 2025.
The Senate President however urged his colleagues to be on the ready during the break.
According to him, they could be recalled for the purpose of working in the budget proposal should the need arise.
“If there is a need to call you back, in line with legislative practice, while you are on holiday, we will do so.
So don’t forget that you are like what they call it in the army, I think reserve lists. You are on reserve. You can be called back any time if there is need, so that we can convene in the national interest.”