The House of Representatives is set to commence the defence for the 2025 appropriation bill by Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on Tuesday.
The chairman House Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Bichi, made this known on Monday after a meeting with chairmen of statutory committees at the House of Representatives.
Bichi also stated that the House hopes to pass the budget before or by end of January 2025.
He said that the budget defence will last till January 17 and reports from the exercise may be harmonised on January 22, while the Appropriations Committee’s report would be laid at plenary on January 31st.
“We just had the inauguration meeting today for the 2025 Appropriation Bill which you have been aware that the President has presented the budget to us, and by tomorrow we will start the budget defence with all the MDAs. From tomorrow to the 17th, we are going to do our budget defence, and we will likely harmonise on the 22nd. God’s willing, by the 31st, we are going to lay our reports.
“We are going to study the budget; all our committees will study the budget. I believe the budget is for Nigerians, for our development—infrastructure and other important things and I am sure Nigerians will be happy with it,” Bichi said.
Bichi added that the parliament will scrutinize the proposed budgetary expenditure, revenues, and other issues contained in the 2025 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.