Senate may pass 2025 budget on 31 January

Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government will start appearing before members of the National Assembly on Tuesday to defend their budgetary allocations for the 2025 fiscal year.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Adeola Olamilekan, disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with committee chairmen and principal officers of the Senate.

Mr Olamilekan, the Ogun West Senatorial District senator, also said all committees are expected to submit a report of the defence exercise to the appropriation committee for ratification between 15 and 18 January.

“The tentative timetable that has been drawn for consideration of the budget at committee level is that budget defence sessions begin from tomorrow (Tuesday), while reports from various committees are expected to be submitted from 15th to 18th of this month,” he said.

On 18 December, 2024, President Bola Tinubu presented the budget of N49.7 trillion for 2025 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly.

The budget, christened “Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity.” was subsequently read on the floor of the Senate for the first time on the same day.

The 2025 appropriation has passed a second reading in both chambers before adjourning plenaries for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The lawmakers are expected to resume plenary on 14 January.

During the meeting with committee chairmen, Mr Olamilekan hinted that the budget may be passed in the Senate on 31 January, per its tentative timetable.

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“Afterwards, collation and tidying up of the various reports will be done by the appropriation committee with the hope of laying the final report on the budget to the Senate on the 31st of this month.

“However, the 31st of January fixed for laying the budget is tentative as it is just given to guide our work,” the senator said.