The Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the second reading of the N20.5 trillion 2023 Appropriations Bill.
The upper house submitted the bill to its Committee on Appropriations for additional legislative action and expressed displeasure at the increase in recurrent expenditure, which is up from more than 6 trillion naira this year to more than 8 trillion projected for next year.
The MPs contend that Nigeria cannot keep borrowing money to support 1 percent of its population. The Senate then instructed its committee to submit a report within four weeks.
To give its various committees time to work on the 2023 budget estimates and a budget defense by various ministries, departments, and agencies, it deferred its convening for the following four weeks.
Except in cases of emergency, the Senate will meet in session again on November 15.
The legislators in the lower chamber similarly praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the Academic Staff Union of Universities Intervention Fund and the expansion of the judiciary’s budget.
However, they questioned and criticised the funding criteria, calling them unrealistic.
The Minority Leader, Ndudi Elimeleu, requested in his proposal that the federal and state governments work together to end the sit-at-home order in the South-East.