The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, has assured President Bola Tinubu of speedy passage of the 2024 Appropriation Bill when brought before it.
Chairman of the Committee, Abubakar Bichi, who made the assurance at the inaugural meeting of the committee, said the Green Chamber will ensure the sustenance of the long established precedent of ensuring compliance with the Financial Year Act through budget passage on or before 31 December of each financial year.
According to him, this development will not only make the budget implementation from January to December operational and achievable, but will help the panel monitor implementation by all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), saying the committee work is not just about budget appropriation.
Noting that the Appropriations Committee stands as one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of law making through appropriations of fund, Bichi observed that the panel will facilitate strategic meeting with Chairmen of Finance, National Planning and Aids, Loans and Debt Management.
He said the move was to gather data that will facilitate effective function of the committee of ensuring inclusive budget preparation, appreciable implementation and effective oversight.
In His words: ” It is significant to note that the Appropriations Committee stands as one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of law making through appropriations of funds to run the affairs of government by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government. This makes the Committee enjoys a wider jurisdiction in comparison with other Standing Committees.
“More significantly, the Committee is empowered by Order 20, Rule 15 of the House of Representatives Standing Orders, 10th Edition, 2020 as Amended to coordinate, monitor, and supervise the implementation of all Appropriation Acts after passage by the National Assembly.
“This power will be effectively utilized to exercise oversight jurisdiction over relevant agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and National Economic Intelligence Agency among others to monitor the budget implementation.
Bichi further assured that panel will assure its coordinating leadership role to facilitate pre-budget meetings with relevant MDAs while at the same time, ensure a sustainable collaboration with its sister Committee in the Senate and other relevant stakeholders
After his address, members of the committee took turn to applaud the committee’s chairman, while they anonymously considered and adopted the committee work plan.
