The House of Representatives urged President Bola Tinubu to, without further hesitation, present the 2025 budget to the parliament.
The lawmakers criticized the executive arm of government for its delay in submitting the 2025 budget estimate to the National Assembly.
The House called on the Executive to adhere to section 11(1)(b) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007 and to submit the 2025 Budget Proposal to the National Assembly without any further postponements.
Bellnews reports that this resolution was reached following the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance put forth by Representative Clement Jumbo.
In presenting the motion, Jumbo expressed concern over the executive’s failure to deliver the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Appropriation Bill for 2025, as required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).
He noted that the FRA mandates the submission of the MTEF and Appropriation Bills to the National Assembly at least four months prior to the conclusion of the financial year.
It is worth noting that the current budget cycle is set to conclude on December 31, 2024, which leaves only two and a half months remaining.
Jumbo emphasized that a delayed presentation of the appropriation bill to the National Assembly would hinder lawmakers’ ability to examine the budget document thoroughly before its approval.
Supporting the motion, the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda, called upon all members, regardless of their party affiliations, to endorse the proposal.
He expressed concern that the late submission of the 2024 appropriation bill had placed significant pressure on lawmakers, forcing them to expedite the budget approval process last year.
Chinda noted that a similar situation is already emerging this year and urged the executive branch to take immediate action by submitting the appropriation bill in a timely manner prior to its passage.
In addition, Solomon Bob, while expressing his support for the motion, indicated that the House may need to adopt a position of rejecting budgets that are presented late.
The motion received unanimous approval and was subsequently referred to the committees on National Planning and Economic Development, Appropriations, and Finance to ensure compliance within a two-week timeframe.