Reps consider N54.2tr budget as committee presents report

The House of Representatives on Thursday set in motion the move to pass the N54.2 trillion 2025 budget as the Committee on Appropriations presented its report for consideration.

The House will, in an hour, consider the report of the 2025 budget, which will be presented by the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Bichi.

The Green Chamber had in December passed both the first and second readings of the N49.7 trillion budget initially proposed by President Bola Tinubu before it was raised by the President to N54.2 trillion.

The increase, according to the President, is based on additional revenues generated by key government agencies, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (N1.4 trillion), Nigeria Customs Service (N1.2 trillion), and other government-owned agencies (N1.8 trillion).

During Thursday’s plenary, presided over by Speaker Abass Tajudeen, the budget consideration, which is crucial to meeting the February deadline for passage, was temporarily halted when the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee was about to begin presenting his committee’s report.

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Speaker Abass said the presentation of the report would continue after an hour’s break.

It is expected that after the presentation of the report, the bill will be considered by the Committee of Supply on a clause-by-clause basis.

Once this stage is completed, the bill moves to the third reading for final passage.