Ime Akpan
The senate, on Tuesday, passed the 2019 Appropriation Bill, jerking up the proposal of N8.83 trillion presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to N8.916 trillion
This is N86 billion higher than what was originally proposed.
A breakdown of the budget estimate is as follows:
Statutory transfer – N502.58 .billion
Debt servicing – N2.25 trillion
Recurrent expenditure – N4.65 trillion
Capital expenditure – N2.94 trillion
Presenting the budget report on the floor of the senate, the chairman of senate committee on appropriation, Mr. Danjuma Goje explained that the need to provide for the severance benefits of outgoing lawmakers, their aides, provision for the national assembly orientation programme, election, and others accounted for the N86 billion increase.
In his remarks, the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, commended the lawmakers for the efforts that led to the passage of the bill and called for its complete implementation by the executive.
“I want to thank our colleagues, particularly for their understanding and for us to be able to meet today’s deadline in passing the bill and (I) thank the Committee on Appropriation too.
“I hope that with this budget passed, the Executive will also ensure the full implementation of the budget for the benefit of Nigerians as a whole,” he said.
It would be recalled that President Buhari presented the 2019 budget proposal of N8.83 trillion to the national assembly on December 19, 2018.
