2023 Budget: NASS To Hold Emergency Plenary Sessions Thursday
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have cut short their Sallah break to hold emergency plenary sessions Thursday to deliberate on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s supplementary appropriation for the 2024 fiscal year.
It was gathered that cost of the yet to be acquired presidential jet will be included in the budget.
Recall that the Senate and the House of Representatives had adjourned plenary to resume July 2nd.
The emergency sessions as gathered are aimed at extending the implementation period for the capital component of N21.83trillion 2023 budget and those of the N2.17trillion 2023 supplementary budget.
Recall that Chambers had in December 2023, extended the implementation period of capital component of the budget for the fiscal year from December 31, 2023 to March 31, 2024 along with the N2.17trillion 2023 Supplementary budget, they passed in November, 2023.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s request to both Chambers in March this year, both the Senate and the House of Representatives further extended the implementation period for the budgetary appropriations from March 31, 2024 to June 30, 2024 on 19th and 20th March this year respectively.
With four days to 30th June 2024, fixed as end of implementation period for the affected 2023 budgetary appropriations, the two chambers have fixed Thursday this week for separate sessions, where further extensions would be made ahead of their earlier resumption date, fixed for July 2, 2024.
Confirming the emergency session through telephone conversations with journalists on Wednesday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, APC Ekiti South, said that the session would be majorly on budgetary appropriation.
When specifically asked whether extension of implementation period for capital component of 2023 budget was in the offing, he responded by saying varied issues requiring urgent legislative attention, would be deliberated upon.
He added that the hurriedly convened session for Thursday, falls in line with Senate constitutional power to regulate its sessions which according to him, would make it, deal with national and constitutional issues earlier than hitherto scheduled.
Adaramodu said, ” It is our statutory resumption from the Sallah break. Senate has the constitutional power to regulate its sessions and we believe that we could gain one more Legislative day to deal with national and constitutional issues, hence the bringing forward from the initial July 2.
“We hope to deal with issues concerning our further oversight on the Appropriations and clear further the hanging issues of constitutional and electoral concerns. And clear outstanding bills and motions, expectedly before our annual recess, later in the year.
“The Senate shall be dwelling on wide range of issues at his its plenary on Thursday, particularly those on budgetary appropriations vis – a – vis legislative compliance.
“Bills on 2024 Supplementary Appropriation and New National Minimum Wage are out of it, since they are yet to be forwarded for consideration and passage by President Bola Tinubu,”
Some other Senators contacted, hinted that, requests for further extension of implementation period for the capital component of the N21.83trillion 2023 budget and N2.17trillion supplementary budget for the fiscal year, may have been forwarded by President Tinubu to both chambers of the National Assembly.
