Senate To Approve N2.17tr Supplementary Budget Today

By James Itodo

The Senate says it will today in plenary approve the N2.17trillion 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill forwarded to it for consideration by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.

As requested for by President Tinubu in the letter read in Senate during plenary on Tuesday, the request was given expeditious consideration by debating on budgetary proposals made in the bill, passed for second reading and mandated committee on Appropriations to interface with heads of affected agencies for defence on the proposals made .

The Senate Committee chairman on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola met with heads of the affected seven agencies till late hours of Wednesday and told newsmen that the reports on the supplementary budgetary proposals would be submitted to the Senate for final consideration and passage today.

At the interface the committee had with heads of the affected agencies, the Minister of Housing hmed Dangiwa, defended the N100 billion budgeted for the Federal Ministry of Housing in the Supplementary budget which according to him, would be spent on construction of Housing Estates across the country.

He explained that the federal government would construct a 1,000 unit housing estate in each state of the federation, adding that all state governors had been contacted to provide 50 hectres of land for the construction of the estates.

He said another 2,000 Housing unit Estate “will be built in the urban areas in each geo-political zone.

“We will use N50 billion to kickstart the construction of the housing estates in the federation. The remaining N50 billion will be used to develop slums in different parts of the country”, he said.

In his presentation, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, defended the N100 billion provided in the supplementary budget for the Federal Capital Territory out of which N22 billion was earmarked for completion of the metro rail.

For the purpose of security and safety in FCT, Wike told the committee members that all abandoned structures would be brought down so as not to serve as hideouts for criminals from neighbouring states.

Other Ministers who made presentations before the committee, were the Minister of Works, David Umahi, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawale as well as Service Chiefs.

Edited By Grace Namiji