By Henry Umoru

ABUJA— BOTH the Senate and House of Representatives will begin consideration of the 2025 budget of N49.7 trillion at committee levels today.

The Senate also said yesterday it would suspend plenary for two weeks upon resumption on January 14, while fixing January 31 tentatively for laying of the budget.

It equally fixed Thursday this week for open day on the budget consideration which will entail inputs from various stakeholders in the polity, aside from heads of the various ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs.

Disclosing this yesterday in Abuja during a meeting with chairmen of other standing committees in the Senate, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola explained that the January 31, 202, fixed as date for laying of reports on the 2025 Appropriation Bill separately before the Senate and the House of Representatives was tentative.

At the meeting were many chairmen of Senate’s standing committees and principal officers, such as Deputy Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru and Senate Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno among others.

Adeola noted that the time frame for consideration and passage of the 2025 budget by the National Assembly was short but noted that the best must be made of it.

He said: “Before this meeting with chairmen of the various standing committees in the Senate, the Appropriation committee met for several hours on best ways to handle the consideration of the 2025 budget which was presented to the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, by President Bola Tinubu and passed for second reading by both the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday, December 19, 2024.

“ For expeditious and thorough consideration, hard copies of the budget proposals were obtained and given to chairmen of the various committees as required reference documents during budget defence sessions with heads of MDAs under their preview.

“ The tentative timetable that has been drawn for consideration of the budget at committee level is that budget defence sessions begin from tomorrow ( today), while reports from various committees are expected to be submitted from 15th to 18th of this month.

“ Afterwards, collation and tidying up of the various reports will be done by the appropriation committee, with the hope of laying final report on the budget to the Senate on 31st of this month .

“ However, the January 31 fixed for laying of the budget is tentative as it is just given to guide our working, “ he said.

The committee, thereafter, went into a closed door session with chairmen of the various standing committees in the Senate.