Reps set to consider report on N2. 177trn supplementary budget

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

 

House of Representatives is set the consider the report of the Committee on Appropriation on the N2. 177 trillion supplementary budget presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu.

 

The Committee is listed for consideration, at the committee of the whole, in Thursday’s Order paper. After the consideration, the House will revert to plenary for the passage of the supplementary budget.

 

The Appropriation Committee, held a budget defence session, on Wednesday,

with ministers and heads of security agencies, who appeared before the lawmaker.

 

The chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Bichi, while speaking at the budget defence session, said the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, is specifically structured to address security, road infrastructure, housing deficit amongst others.

Bichi explained that the supplementary budget will “also support the provisional wage to workers and cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians. It will also cater to the upcoming off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States.”

 

He stated that out of the sum of 476,543,847,421 proposed for Ministry of Defence, the sum of N215,937,945,659 is for recurrent expenditure while the sum of N260,605,901,762 is for capital expenditure. While N104.800 billion, of the N200 billion proposed for Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, is for recurrent expenditure, with the sum of N95.200 billion is for capital expenditure.

 

For the police, the sum of N29,661,660,269 is for recurrent expenditure while the sum of N20,338,339,731 is for capital expenditure. Similarly, out of total sum of N29,700,606,916 proposed for office of National Security Adviser, the sum of N27,402,410,057 is for recurrent expenditure while the sum of N2,298,196,859 is for capital expenditure.

According to him, “we have invited the relevant MDAs to defend and shed more light on their submissions. At the end of the hearing, we will collate our analysis in a report and send it back to the House.”