N’Assembly resumes, plans 2023 budget implementation extension

The National Assembly will Thursday (today) resume plenary to debate the extension of the 2023 budget implementation. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South), confirmed on Wednesday that the Senate would resume today to focus on the appropriations and the health of the economy. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, similarly confirmed that the House of Representatives would consider the extension of the 2023 budget life during their plenary today. On June 10, the parliament adjourned plenary till July 2, but the leadership Wednesday cut short the Sallah recess and directed the members to resume today. The PUNCH learnt that the two chambers would extend the implementation period for the capital component of the N21.83tn 2023 budget and the N2.17tn 2023 supplementary budget. In December 2023, both chambers extended the implementation period for the capital component of the budget from December 31, 2023, to March 31, 2024, along with the N2.17trn 2023 supplementary budget passed in November 2023. Earlier in March, following requests by President Bola Tinubu, both the Senate and the House of Representatives extended the implementation period for the budgetary appropriations from March 31 to June 30, 2024. With just four days remaining until the June 30 deadline for the affected 2023 budgetary appropriations, the two chambers have scheduled separate sessions for today to consider further extensions ahead of their previous July 2 resumption date. Confirming the emergency session, the Senate spokesman, Adaramodu, stated that the plenary would primarily focus on budgetary appropriations. He said, “Tomorrow (today) is not for any emergency meeting. It’s a statutory resumption from the Sallah break. It’s not an aircraft summon. “The Senate has the constitutional duty to regulate her proceedings and we have a lot to deliberate on, especially the health of the economy, security, constitutional changes and the appropriations.” When asked about the details of the planned extension of the implementation period for the capital component of the 2023 budget, he simply indicated that various urgent legislative issues would be deliberated upon. Adaramodu noted, “The Senate will address a wide range of issues during its plenary on Thursday, particularly those concerning budgetary appropriations and legislative compliance. NASS awaits FG “Bills on the 2024 Supplementary Appropriation and the New National Minimum Wage are not included, as they have not yet been forwarded for consideration and passage by President Bola Tinubu.” The lawmaker added, “ The Senate shall be dwelling on a wide range of issues at its plenary on Thursday, particularly those on budgetary appropriations vis-a-vis legislative compliance.’’ He added that the hurriedly convened session was in line with the Senate’s constitutional power to regulate its sittings, which according to him, would enable it to deal with national and constitutional issues earlier than previously scheduled. Several senators who spoke off-record affirmed that requests for further extension of the implementation period for the capital component of the N21.83tn 2023 budget and the N2.17tn supplementary budget would be discussed. One of the lawmakers, who spoke to one of our correspondents in confidence, said, “Just one item is on our agenda which is the 2023 supplementary budget. “The issue of the supplementary budget is very paramount because the current cycle ends on June 30 which will be belated by the time the Senate resumes from the Sallah recess as earlier scheduled. That is why we had to be recalled from our annual recess to attend to quickly attend to it.’’ When our correspondent probed further about the reported plan by the Senate to debate the 2024 supplementary budget, the lawmaker said, ‘’Nothing of such is before the Senate.’’ The senator emphasized, “ For tomorrow, we don’t have it slated, and it is not one of the issues to be discussed, according to the information shared with senators, except it comes tomorrow. But based on official information, we have just the 2023 supplementary budgets to work on.” Corroborating his colleague, another lawmaker who didn’t want to be identified, said only one item was on the Order Paper and that is the extension of the lifecycle of the 2023 supplementary budget. The senator noted that issues could only come up on the 2024 supplementary budget if the President sends the budget today. He further noted that only the Senate President would have access to the details of the supplementary budget if it were available to him. The lawmaker said, “For now, the issue before us is the 2023 Supplementary Budget which is due for June 30. “Both on the messages sent to lawmakers and the Order Paper, there is only one item stated as the agenda before the senators. “As per the 2024 budget, nothing like that has been mentioned to be before us, but