By John Alechenu

ABUJA-The National Assembly has approved President Bola Tinubu’s 2023, N2.18 trillion supplementary budget for the 2023 fiscal year.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, hit the gavel on his table announcing the approval after putting the report to a vioce vote by senators.

This was sequel to the adoption and debate of the harmonised report of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Appropriations on the 2023 Supplementary Bill (SB 218) by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Adeola Olamilekan, at yesterday’s plenary.

Senator Olamilekan had laid the committee’s report which was adopted and debated before Akpabio put it to voice vote and senators across party lines voted in favour of its passage. 

It was unanimously approved.

While presenting the report, Senator Olamilekan said:  “The appropriations committee considered the detailed provisions of the bill and the inputs received from heads of benefiting MDAs, as well as, the leadership of the corresponding sub-committees in the Senate and House and recommended as follows: “The authorization of the issuance from the consolidated revenue fund of the federation the aggregate of N2.18tr only.

“Of this sum, N18billion only is for statutory transfers, N1.33tr is for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, while the sum of N1.1trillion only is “for contribution to development fund for capital expenditure for the year ending December 31, 2023.

Prior to the presentation of the report, the committee held series of meetings with the relevant benefiting ministeries, departments and agencies, MDAs, of government.

They include the Minister of Works, David Umahi; Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa; and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; as well as service chiefs.