The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has issued a stern message to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), cautioning against being lackadaisical in the defense of their budgets for the forthcoming fiscal year.
Akpabio conveyed this warning during an interactive session organized by the Committee on Appropriations titled, “2024 Budget: Budget and Budgetary processes, delivering improved outcomes in 2024,” held on Tuesday at the National Assembly.
Represented by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jubril Barau, Akpabio emphasized dire consequences for individuals or agencies displaying laxity during budget defenses.
The Minister for Finance, Wale Edun, reinforced the urgent need to explore concessional and climate-related funding, acknowledging Nigeria’s fiscal limitations.
Akpabio reaffirmed the National Assembly’s zero-tolerance policy towards a lackadaisical attitude from government officials across all MDAs during budget defenses. He stressed the need to preserve current commitment of the Federal Government to preserve the January to December budget cycle.
Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriation, Sen. Solomon Olamilakon, highlighted the event’s significance as part of the 10th National Assembly’s efforts to ensure an inclusive budget process and adhere to the January–December budget cycle.
It’s pertinent to recall that President Bola Tinubu presented the proposed 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion at a joint sitting of the National Assembly last week, following which the Senate initiated debates on the budget’s general principles on November 30, 2023, and subsequently passed it for the second reading on December 1, 2023.
