The House of Representatives Thursday considered and passed two money bills extending the implementation of the 2023 Appropriation Act and the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act until December 2024.
The presidency had presented the two bills via a letter transmitted from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, titled the 2023 Appropriation Amendment Bill, 2024, and the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Amendment Bill, 2024.
Following its first reading, House Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) during the debate on the general principles of the bill, expressed reservations about the propriety of accelerating the passage of these bills.
Noting that it might not be in the best interest of the country, Rep. Chinda suggested that the provisions of the bills should be harmonised and included in the anticipated Supplementary Appropriation Act 2024.
The Minority Leader’s concerns and position sparked a robust discussion among members, and supported by Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano) who, however, urged the House to pass the bills in the best interest of the country’s security and economy.
In response, the House resolved to enter an executive session to deliberate further on the matter. Following these deliberations, the House, in its collective wisdom, dissolved into the Committee of Supply to debate the various clauses in the money bills, all of which were carried.
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