The various committees in the National Assembly will today continue with the examination of the 2020 N10.33 trillion budget with some ministers and heads of federal agencies appearing before some of the committees to defend the budget estimates for their Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The federal assembly, as part of programmes line up for the consideration of the budget, will next Wednesday and Thursday hold a public hearing on the 2020 Appropriation Bill.
The MDAs’ budget defence, which commenced last Wednesday will resume today with the Defence Ministry concluding its three-day submission before the Senate committee on Defence headed by former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wammako, in Senate committee room 120 by 11a.m.
The Defence Ministry top echelons led by the Minister, Major General Bashir Magasi (rtd), had during of its budget defence last Wednesday, accentuated the need to equip the ministry with adequate funding as a result of the security issues wreaking havoc on the the nation, and the need for the military to beef up the nation’s security system.
Reliable sources revealed that the joint National Assembly committee on Defence was told by the Defence Minister and the three service chiefs that if sufficient funds are provided for the three services namely: Army, Navy and Air Force, the security menace bedevilling the country, especially the issue of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east region, would be overcome.
A renowned senator from the Northeast axis, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that “today’s meeting by the committee with the military chiefs is to look critically at the issue of funding as well as the high level of insecurity in the country and the role of the military in addressing the issue.”
He stated that at the end of today’s meeting “the joint committee will make necessary recommendation especially in the area of insufficient funding of the military to the joint National Assembly Committee on Appropriation that will vet it before presenting it to the Assembly next month.”
Also today, the Senate Committee on Education (basic and secondary) chaired by former Governor of Yobe State, Senator Ibrahim Geidam, conduct a two-day budget defence session with the Minister of Education and heads of education parastatals to defend the budget proposal of the ministry in the Senate conference room 022 by 11a.m. today and Wednesday.
However, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, will on Tuesday, 22nd October, 2019 appear before the Senator Suleiman Kwari-led Senate Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes for defence the Commission’s 2020 budget by 12 noon.
By Wednesday, the National Assembly is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the 2020 Appropriation Bill with all stakeholders in both the public and private sectors being invited to make inputs into the budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on October 8.
The budget defence session scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Senate conference room 231 to be superintended by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Barau Jibrin, will have in attendance the Chairman of the National Assembly, who is the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila; all the16 principal officers of the National Assembly, ministers, captains of industry, labour leaders, market leaders, students and many others.
The Appropriation Committee will after the public hearing gather contributions from the stakeholders to make up their report to the National Assembly in the coming month.
