Senate on Wednesday passed a supplementary budget of N982 billion for 2021.
Gatekeepers News reports that the passed supplementary budget is aimed at boosting military operations and facilitating the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in June asked the national assembly to approve the supplementary budget request. He had initially presented N13.08 trillion budget proposal to a joint sitting of the national assembly on October 8, 2020.
The passage of the supplementary budget follows a report presented during the plenary session by the Chairman of the appropriation committee, Jibrin Barau.
During his presentation, Barau noted that his committee discussed with the Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed and other stakeholders concerning the supplementary budget.
Gatekeepers News reports that N123 billion was approved for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, N895 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure.
The figure passed is, however, N87 billion higher than what the executive forwarded as a supplementary budget.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan after the supplementary budget was passed, tasked the relevant committees of the red chamber to ensure that the funds are properly utilised.
“Committees should be alive to know these funds are applied. This is a very necessary intervention by this senate for the country,” Lawan said.
“We have to continue to fund our security agencies even in the 2022 appropriation bill to overcome these security challenges.”
