Members of the House of Representatives will on Thursday reconvene to give accelerated consideration and passage of President Bola Tinubu’s request to extend the implementation of the N21.827 trillion Appropriation Act, 2023 as well as N2.177 trillion Supplementary Act, 2023 from 30th June 2024 to 31st December 2024, respectively.
The proposed Appropriation bills which were slated for First Reading on the Notice Paper seen by Nigerian Tribune.
According to the Explanatory Memorandum, the first Bill seeks to amend the Appropriation Act 2023, to extend the implementation of the Capital aspect of the Appropriation Act, 2023 from 30th June 2024 to 31st December 2024.
The second Executive bill seeks to amend the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Nigerian Tribune’s checks revealed that the House had on Wednesday, 20th March 2024 approved the first request made by President Tinubu for the extension of the implementation of the N21.827 trillion Appropriation Act, 2023 as well as N2.177 trillion Supplementary Act, 2023, from 31st December 2023 to 30th June 2024.
Analysis of the 2023 Appropriation Act showed that the sum of N967,486,010,536 was for Statutory Transfers; N6,557,597,611,797 was for Debt Service; N8,329,370,195,637 was for Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure while the sum of N5,972,734,929,421 was for contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure for the year ending on the 31st day of December 2023.
The sum of N165 billion was for the National Judicial Council (NJC); N119,939,603,660 was for the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC); while the sum of N103,288,086,976 was for Universal Basic Education (UBE); Public Complaints Commission got N10.690 billion; Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) got N173,635,157,400; National Human Right Commission got N4.500 billion; North East Development Commission got N59,038,929,318; Basic Health Care Fund gets N51,644,043,487 while National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) got N51,644,043,487.
The Parliament also approved the sum of N30,173,520,592 for the Severance/Inauguration of Outgoing and Incoming 9th and 10th Assembly (Legislators and Legislative Aides); N30,492,518,529 was for National Assembly Office; N33,267,001,807 was for Senate; N51,994,511,954 is for House of Representatives; N10,555,809,322 was for National Assembly Service Commission; N16,520,653,763 was for Legislative Aides; N118,970,215 was for PAC – Senate; N142,764,258 was for PAC – House of Representatives; N11,307,475,470 was for General Services; N7,411,813,596 was for National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS); N671,335,001 was for Service Wide Vote; N1,059,121,701 was for Office of Retired Clerks and Permanent Secretaries.
Similarly, the House approved the sum of N125,000,000 for the Appropriation Committee Department – Senate; N165,000,000 was for the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation; N4.250 billion was for the ongoing National Assembly Library Building; N127,500,000 was for the hosting of Conference of Speakers of African Parliament (COSAP); N8.500 billion was for NASS liabilities; N255,000,000 was for NASS E-Library; N118,150,000 was for NASS Dashboard; N850,000,000 was for Constitution Review; N7.500 billion was for completion of NASS Library Complex; N2.500 billion was for completion of NILDS Headquarters; while N10 billion was for Construction of NASC building.
The sum of N6,557,597,611,797 was approved for debt service/sinking fund while the sum of N8,329,370,195,637 is for Recurrent (non-debt) Expenditure.
The budget comprises Capital Expenditure of N5,927,734,929,421; aggregate expenditure stands at N21,827,188,747,391; Surplus/Deficit stands at N10,782,078,435,531 while debt financing stands at N8,804,491,636,509.
The Federal Government had proposed to generate the sum of N206,182,616,701 from Asset Sales/Privatization and Multilateral/Bilateral Project-Tied Loans of N1,771,404,182,321.
The House had also on the 20th of March 2024 given its nod for the extension of the implementation of the N2.177 trillion Supplementary Appropriation Act to 30th June 2024.
From the N2.177 trillion supplementary budget, National Assembly approved the sum of N546,209,099,671 for Ministry of Defence; N50 billion for Police Formations and Commands; N50 billion for the Office of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); and N49,046,831,697 for Department of State Services (DSS), respectively.
Some of the other bills gazetted for First Reading are: National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (No. 25) Act, 2024; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, which was sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen
The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu and seven others also sponsored a bill for the establishment of the Federal Capital Territory Transport Authority (Establishment) Bill, 2024.
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