The Nigerian Senate is set to approve the N2.17 trillion 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill today, following its submission by President Bola Tinubu earlier this week.
The bill, which was presented during plenary on Tuesday, has undergone expedited consideration, with the Senate passing it for a second reading and subsequently mandating the Committee on Appropriations to engage with the heads of affected agencies for their defenses on the proposed allocations.
Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC Ogun West), conducted extensive meetings with the leaders of seven affected agencies late into the evening on Wednesday. The outcome of these discussions will be submitted to the Senate for final consideration and passage today.
Senator Adeola emphasized the committee’s commitment to executing its mandate with the urgency required. He noted, “The committee has engaged with the heads of the seven agencies for whom supplementary budget proposals were made, as mandated by the Senate based on the request of President Bola Tinubu. These agency leaders have effectively presented their cases, highlighting the necessity for Senate and National Assembly approval of the N2.17 trillion 2023 supplementary budget.”
“The committee has diligently fulfilled its role, and the report for the final consideration and passage of the bill will be presented to the Senate today,” Senator Adeola added.
Among the ministers and officials who presented their cases before the committee are: the Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa, defended the allocation of N100 billion for the Federal Ministry of Housing in the supplementary budget. He outlined plans for the construction of 1,000 housing estates in each state of the federation, with an additional 2,000 housing estates to be built in urban areas across the geopolitical zones.
Dangiwa also explained that N50 billion would be allocated to kickstart the construction of these housing estates, while the remaining N50 billion would be used to develop slums in various parts of the country.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, advocated for the allocation of N100 billion in the supplementary budget for the FCT, with N22 billion designated for the completion of the metro rail project.
Wike stressed the importance of demolishing abandoned structures in the FCT to prevent them from serving as hideouts for criminals from neighboring states, thus ensuring the security and safety of the FCT.
Wike stated, “We will bring down all abandoned buildings within the FCT. We will also take over all those buildings because we have discovered that they are hideouts for criminals. I have confidence that things will turn around.”
