The Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives will begin detailed discussions on the proposed N49.7 trillion 2025 budget at the committee level this Tuesday.
The Senate plans to suspend plenary sessions for two weeks starting January 14, aiming to lay the Appropriation Bill before both chambers by January 31.
An “Open Day” for budget discussions, involving contributions from stakeholders and heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), is scheduled for Thursday this week.
Senator Olamilekan Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, acknowledged the tight timeline but stressed the importance of a thorough review process during a meeting with Senate committee chairpersons and principal officers in Abuja.
The meeting, attended by key officials such as Deputy Senate Leader Senator Lola Ashiru and Senate Whip Senator Tahir Monguno, outlined the approach for the budget review.
Adeola stated that before meeting the committee chairpersons, the Appropriation Committee held an extensive session to strategize on reviewing the budget.
President Bola Tinubu presented the budget to the National Assembly on December 18, 2024, with both chambers passing its second reading the following day.
To facilitate the review, hard copies of the budget proposal were distributed to committee chairpersons. These documents will serve as references during budget defense sessions with MDAs.
The budget defense process begins today, with committee reports expected to be submitted between December 15 and 18.
The Appropriation Committee will then compile and finalize the reports, with plans to present the final budget report to the Senate by December 31.
Adeola noted that the December 31 submission date is tentative and serves as a working timeline.
