The Nigerian Senate is poised to pass the ₦2.18 trillion 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill, which was submitted by President Bola Tinubu and expedited for consideration.
Following the bill’s introduction during Senate plenary on Tuesday, the proposed budgetary allocations were debated, passed for a second reading, and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
This committee, chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ogun West, conducted extensive discussions with heads of the seven affected agencies, whose budgetary proposals were included in the supplementary budget.
Senator Adeola confirmed that the committee met with these agency heads until late on Wednesday and stated that their reports would be submitted to the Senate for final consideration and passage on Thursday.
As part of these discussions, the Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa, defended the allocation of ₦100 billion for the Federal Ministry of Housing in the supplementary budget, emphasizing its use in constructing housing estates nationwide.
Additionally, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, explained the ₦100 billion earmarked for the FCT in the supplementary budget, with ₦22 billion allocated for the metro rail’s completion and addressing security concerns by demolishing abandoned structures that could be used as hideouts for criminals from neighboring states.
Other ministers and service chiefs presented their justifications for the supplementary budget before the committee.
These included the Minister of Works, David Umahi, defending nearly ₦400 billion in appropriations; the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawale, and the various service chiefs.
