Passage of 2020 budget gets final date at NASS

Strong indication emerged Tuesday, that the National Assembly will pass for third reading, the N10.33trillion 2020 Appropriation  bill on 28th of this month.

The two Chambers of the National Assembly had in a  joint sitting , received the Appropriation bill from President Muhammadu Buhari on the 8th of last month and spent the remaining weeks of the month for its consideration at committee levels after passage for second reading on Thursday , October 10, 2020.

In achieving the  target date, the  President of the Senate, is Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, directed at Tuesday’s plenary that  the Senate Committee on Appropriations submit its report on the 2020 budget proposals on November 26, 2019.

Lawan  stated that the committee’s compliance to lay its report on November 26 would facilitate the passage of the 2020 budget on November 28, before the National Assembly proceeds on Christmas break.

He said: “On the Budget 2020 we are working on, the ball is now in the court of Senate Committee on Appropriations, the last committee standing.

“All the committees have done their work so well within the defined parameters and we, therefore, expect the Appropriations Committee to produce the report and lay it here by the 26th of November, next two weeks.

“I believe that the same thing will be done in our sister chamber, the House of Representatives, so that we are able to pass the Appropriation Bill 2020 on the November 28, by the Grace of God.”

Meanwhile, a total of twelve bills scaled first reading on the floor of the Senate  Tuesday, one of which is the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches sponsored by the Deputy Whip of the Senate , Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi ( APC Niger North).

Other bills that scaled first reading at the plenary are ,  National Religious Equity Commission (Est.) bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Stella Oduah; Constituency Development Fund (Est.) bill, 2019, by Senator Ali Ndume; National Agency for Technology Incubation (Est.) bill, 2019, by Senator Ajayi Boroffice; National War College Act (Amendment) bill, 2019, by Senator Aliyu Wamakko; Compulsory Free Universal Education Act (Amendment) bill, 2019, by Senator Rose Oko, and Private Security and Forensic Investigation Bureau of Nigeria (Est.) bill, 2019, by Senator Barinanda Mpigi.

Others are: Police Act (Amendment) bill, 2019, by Senator Betty Apiafi; Federal University of Agriculture and Technology Funtua (Est.) bill, 2019, by Senator Bello Mandiya; Federal College of Education (Technical) Kaima, Kwara State (Est.) bill, 2019, by Senator Sadiq Umar; Federal University of Gashua (Est.) bill, 2019, by Senator Yahaya Abdullah and Federal Medical Centre Dekina, by Senator Jibrin Isah ( APC Kogi East) .

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