Senate President, Ahmed Lawan has disclosed that the Senate will on Monday, December 21, hold a special session to pass the 2021 budget presently before the National Assembly into law.
Lawan disclosed this in a statement released by his Special Assistant (Press), Ezrel Tabiowo. According to the statement, the senate president made this known during plenary following a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (APC – Kebbi North); and seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP – Abia South).
The N13.08 trillion budget was presented to a joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari in October, after which budget defence sessions were held to enable ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to defend their 2020 budget performance as well as 2021 budget proposals.
Read Also: Buhari Presents N13.08trn Budget Estimates To NASS
The Senate President stated that the delay in the passage of the budget was to allow the Appropriations Committee include a late request for additional expenditures from the Executive arm of government.
He stated;
Our Committee on Appropriation has been working round the clock. We had planned to receive the report of the Committee on Appropriations today, but there was a late request for some more expenditures from the Executive arm of Government, and we want to ensure that our Committee does work to produce a clean document, so they can’t present this document today.
However, the Committee has said the report will be ready by weekend. Consequently, we will hold a special session on Monday, the 21st of December, 2020, just to consider and pass the budget 2021.
Lawan added;
This is in keeping with our legislative agenda of ensuring that the annual budget has a January to December cycle. We did that last year, and by the grace of God, we will do it again.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday also stepped down the consideration of the Conference Committee Report 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
The request to step down consideration of the 2021 – 2023 MTEF report till Thursday, December 17, 2020 was moved by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi; and seconded by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe.
