Senate passes N21.5trn 2023 budget

0
33

suspends restructuring of N22.7 trn Ways and Means expenditure

The Nigeria Senate on Wednesday passed the 2023 budget of N21.5 trillion.

It also passed the 2022 supplementary budget of N819.5 billion.

However, it  suspended consideration of restructuring of the controversial N22.719 trillion Ways and Means expenditure requested by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Controversy started when Sen Adeola, Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos West), Chairman Senate Committee on Finance submitted report for the Senate to receive and consider the report of the Committee on the approval of Ways and Means 2022.

Senator Betty Apiafi (Rivers West) immediately raised a Point of Order to stop Senator Adeola from presenting the report because, according to her, the Ways and Means expenditure was not known to Nigerian constitution or any other law.

In responding to Senator Apiafi, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan ruled her out of order because he said the report was yet to be submitted to the Senate.

Senator  Adeola explained that, “Ways and Means are advances from the Central Bank of Nigeria to the Federal Government for emergency  funding of delayed receipt of fiscal deficit, fell on deaf ears as the Senate became very rowdy.

Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), apparently referring to the N819.64 billion supplementary budget, said his worry was that bringing that request less than 90 days to the end of the extended life of the 2022 budget was “unrealistic in view of the strict budget implementation process” that has to do with advertising, bidding and procurement.

The passage of the 2023 budget followed the receipt and consideration of the report of the Committee on Finance on the Finance Bill, 2022 by Senator Adeola Solomon and that of Appropriations by Senator Barau Jibrin.

Meanwhile the Senate has proceeded on recess till January 17, 2023.