Reps Begin 2025 Budget Defence Tuesday, To Submit Report January 31st
By Juliet Vincent
The House of Representatives is set to commence the 2025 budget defence session with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday.
Reports from the exercise are expected to be harmonised on January 22 while the report by the House Appropriations Committee would be laid before the House on January 31st.
The Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi (APC, Kano) disclosed this while speaking to journalists after the inaugural meeting with other House Committees Chairman on Monday.
It could be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had on December 18, 2024 presented the N49.74 trillion 2025 Budget (Appropriation Bill) before a joint session of the National Assembly.
The House passed the budget through second reading on December 19, 2024 and referred it to the Appropriations Committee with all Standing Committees as sub-committees for further legislative action.
Hon. Bichi said that the budget defence will last till January 17 and reports from the exercise may be harmonised on January 22 while the Appropriations Committee’s report would be laid at plenary on January 31st.
He assured that the panel and standing committees will be thorough with the budget defence in the interest of Nigerians.
Rep. Bichi said, “We just had the inauguration meeting today for the 2025 Appropriation Bill which you have been aware that the President has presented the budget us and by tomorrow we will start the budget defence with all the MDAs. From tomorrow to 17th we are going to do our budget defence and we will likely harmonise on the 22nd and God’s willing by 31st we are going to lay our reports.
“We are going to study the budget; all our committees will study the budget. I believe the budget is for Nigerians, for our development – infrastructure and other important things and I am sure Nigerians will be happy with it”.
He assured that, the parliament will scrutinize the proposed budgetary expenditure, revenues and other issues contained in the 2025 Appriation Bill.
He added, “We just had an integration meeting today for the 2025 appropriation bills which you have been aware that the president has presented the budget to us and by tomorrow we’ll start the budget defense by all the MDAs from tomorrow to the 17th we are going to do our budget defense and we will likely harmonize by 22nd.
“But what we do first, we complete our reports. Now we are going to study the budget, all our committees will study the budget and I believe the budget is for Nigerians, it’s for development infrastructures and other important things and I’m sure Nigeria will be happy with it”.
