The Nigerian House of Representatives will commence the 2025 budget defence sessions with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday, January 7.
The exercise is aimed at scrutinizing budget proposals to ensure they align with national priorities.
Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, disclosed this during an interview with journalists after a meeting with committee chairmen in Abuja.
He stated that the budget defence sessions would run until January 17, with harmonization of reports expected by January 22. The final Appropriations Committee report is scheduled to be presented at plenary on January 31.
“We have just concluded the inaugural meeting for the 2025 Appropriation Bill, which the President presented to us. Starting tomorrow, we will begin the budget defence sessions with all MDAs.
By January 22, we plan to harmonize the reports, and God willing, the final report will be laid before the House by January 31,” Bichi said.
He assured Nigerians that the committee and its sub-committees would thoroughly review the proposed budget, which is aimed at infrastructure development and other key national priorities. “We are committed to studying the budget in detail. It is for Nigerians’ development, and I am confident they will be satisfied with the outcome,” he added.
Bichi also warned that agencies failing to appear for their budget defence sessions would face sanctions.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the N49.74 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2024. The House passed the budget through a second reading on December 19, 2024, and referred it to the Appropriations Committee, with all Standing Committees serving as sub-committees for further legislative action.