House Reads Riot Act To MDAs Over Defence of 2025 N49.74tn Budget

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The House of Representatives says it is commencing scrutiny of the 2025 budget with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday.

This is as the House cautioned MDA against not showing up for their defense sessions saying there would be sanctions for such actions.

Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Abubakar Kabir Bichi, disclosed this in an interview with journalists after the inaugural meeting of the panel on Monday.

Bichi told journalists that the budget defence will last till January 17 and reports from the exercise would be harmonised on January 22 while the Appropriations Committee’s report would be laid at plenary on January 31st.

The committee’s chairman assured that the panel and standing committees will be thorough with the budget defence in the interest of Nigerians.

“We just had the inauguration meeting today for the 2025 Appropriation Bill which you have been aware that the President has presented the budget us and by tomorrow we will start the budget defence with all the MDAs. From tomorrow to 17th we are going to do our budget defence and we will likely harmonise on the 22nd and God’s willing by 31st we are going to lay our reports.

“We are going to study the budget; all our committees will study the budget. I believe the budget is for Nigerians, for our development – infrastructure and other important things and I am sure Nigerians will be happy with it,” Bichi said.

Meanwhile the Bichi led committee also meet with the Chairmen of the various House committees stressing that they will scrutinize the proposed budgetary expenditure, revenues and other issues contained in the 2025 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu.

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