The Senate Committee on Appropriation has failed to lay its report on the 2019 Appropriation Bill after a deadline on April 2, 2019.
The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Senator Sunny Ogbuoji, explained why the report was not ready during Tuesday’s plenary at the upper house of the National Assembly in Abuja.
He addressed his colleagues after the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, asked the committee to brief the Senate on when the budget would be fully ready.
Senator Ogbuoji said some committees were yet to submit their reports as those that have submitted were not up to 10.
“Our report is not ready because some committees are yet to submit their reports. For now, we have less than 10 committees that have submitted.”
“Any committee that refuses to submit its report by Friday, we will empower the committee to go with the Executive submission,” the lawmaker stated.
He further asked the Senate to give the Appropriation Committee an additional week to allow the other committees yet to submit their reports do so.
In his response, the Senate President granted the request and asked the senators to expedite work on the 2019 Budget.
He said the lawmakers were committed to ensuring that the budget was read and passed for the third time before they embark on the Easter break.
“All committees should submit their budgets by Friday,” Senator Saraki directed.” The Senate should reconvene by April 9, so that the budget will be laid either on the 9th, 10th, 11th.”
He added, “We will suspend plenary till the 9th of April. The Report should be ready by Friday.”
The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, thereafter moved that plenary be adjourned till Tuesday next week to enable the subcommittees to work on the budget.
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