REP Begins initiate 2025 Budget, Sets resumption for Jan 31

The Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives will initiate deliberations on the ?49.7 trillion 2025 budget proposal at the committee level from Tuesday. The Senate has made known its plans to interrupt plenary sessions for two weeks upon resumption on January 14, with January 31 tentatively earmarked for the Appropriation Bill’s presentation before both chambers. An "Open Day" for budget deliberations, designed to involve stakeholders and heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), is organized for this Thursday.

In a discussion held in Abuja with the chairpersons of standing committees, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, acknowledged the limited timeframe but stressed the need for a comprehensive review of the budget. The discussion included several top-ranking officials, including Deputy Leader Senator Lola Ashiru and Senate Whip Senator Tahir Monguno.

Senator Adeola mentioned that before engaging with the standing committee chairpersons, the Appropriation Committee had conducted a thorough discussion to map out the most effective approach for reviewing the 2025 budget.

On December 18, 2024, President Bola Tinubu introduced the budget to the National Assembly, and it advanced to its second reading in both chambers on December 19, 2024.

"In order to streamline the review process, physical copies of the budget proposals were handed out to committee chairpersons. These materials will serve as key references during the budget defense sessions with the MDAs within their jurisdiction," Senator Adeola remarked.

The committee-level review schedule outlines the commencement of budget defense sessions today, with reports to be submitted between December 15 and 18. Following this, the Appropriation Committee will consolidate these reports to assemble the final budget, which is tentatively slated for submission to the Senate on December 31.

"The December 31 submission deadline is subject to change and serves as a provisional guide," he added.