House of Representatives Commences 2025 Budget Defence

The House of Representatives will officially begin the 2025 budget defence sessions with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government on Tuesday.

According to the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Abubakar Bichi, the exercise will run until January 17, 2025. The House is set to harmonise reports from the sessions on Wednesday, January 22, while the Appropriations Committee plans to lay its final report at a special session scheduled for January 31.

Bichi made this known during the inaugural meeting of the Appropriations Committee on Monday at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier presented the N49.74 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2024. Within 24 hours, the House passed the bill through a second reading and referred it to the Appropriations Committee and all Standing Committees for further review.

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Speaking with journalists, Bichi, who represents Bichi Federal Constituency in Kano State, assured Nigerians that the budget review process would prioritise the nation’s development.

“We just had the inauguration meeting today for the 2025 Appropriation Bill. You are all aware that the President has presented the budget to us, and by tomorrow, January 7, we will start the budget defence with all the MDAs,” Bichi stated.

He added, “From tomorrow to January 17, we are going to do our budget defence, and we will likely harmonise on January 22. God willing, by January 31, we are going to lay our report. We are going to study the budget thoroughly. 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 also pledged the readiness of the parliament to scrutinise the proposed budgetary allocations, projected revenues, and other critical aspects of the N49.74 trillion Appropriation Bill.