The Senate has announced plans to suspend plenary for two weeks after the National Assembly resumes from its yuletide break on January 14, 2025. This break will allow the Appropriation sub-committees of both chambers to focus on the N49.7 trillion 2025 budget.
Senator Solomon Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, disclosed that the Senate has tentatively scheduled January 31, 2025, for the presentation and passage of the Appropriation Committee’s report. During a meeting with chairmen of standing committees and principal officers, Adeola emphasized that the time frame for the budget review was tight but assured Nigerians of a thorough evaluation.
“To expedite and ensure a detailed review, we distributed hard copies of the budget proposals to the various committee chairmen. These will serve as reference materials during budget defense sessions with heads of MDAs,” Adeola explained.
He outlined the schedule for the process, stating that committee-level budget defense sessions would commence immediately after resumption, with reports expected to be submitted from January 15 to 18. The Appropriation Committee will then consolidate the submissions ahead of the proposed January 31 deadline.
“The January 31 date is tentative and serves as a working guide. The goal is to complete the process efficiently and with the utmost diligence,” Adeola added.
The 2025 Appropriation Bill, which President Bola Tinubu presented to the National Assembly on December 18, 2024, passed its second reading in both chambers on December 19.
Adeola also revealed that Thursday of this week has been set aside as an open day for stakeholders, including heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), to make their contributions.
The Senate’s leadership assured Nigerians of its commitment to ensuring the budget’s timely passage while maintaining the highest standards of legislative oversight. Following the meeting, a closed-door session was held to strategize on the way forward.