2020 budget to be passed on November 28

The 2020 Appropriation Bill proposal presented on Tuesday to the joint sitting of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari will be ready for passage on the 28th of November, 2019.

This was disclosed by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Benjamin Kalu while addressing journalists after the presentation of the budget proposal by President Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to Kalu, the National Assembly has a desire to reverse the budget calendar to January-December.

Kalu said: “We are committed to realising this switch from what it used to be to what it ought to be – January-December budget calendar. Luckily enough, the House has inaugurated all the standing committees. The House, in order, to achieve this objective of reversing the calendar will be suspending the plenary – not suspending the House – to enable us to go into our various committees to interact with the MDAs (ministries, departments and agencies. To achieve that, we have set up a road map.”

According to him, the House would debate the general principles of the budget on Wednesday and Thursday, after which it would be passed for second reading and referred to the standing committees, also known as Sub-Committees on Appropriations.

Kalu also added that the House would adjourn plenary on Thursday till October 30, 2019, to allow the committees to hold budget defence sessions with Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies.

The House spokesman further disclosed that the leadership of the House would meet with the leaders of the standing committees at 7pm on Thursday to discuss the road map for timely passage of the budget, adding that the National Assembly would hold a public hearing on the budget between October 21 and 22, 2019.

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Kalu said: “From Wednesday, the 30th of October to Tuesday, the 5th of November, 2019, we are going to have submission and defence of budget reports to the Committee on Appropriations. It is important to note here that the termination date for submission of budget and defence of the same budget will be on the 5th of November. After the 5th of November, we will not accept any submission or defence by any MDA.

“From Wednesday, the 6th of November to the 27th of November, 2019, we are going to have the collation and harmonisation of reports by the Appropriations Committee. It is our expectation – and we are working towards that with this road map we have set – that on the 28th of November, 2019, we will have the presentation of the report by the Committees on Appropriations to the Senate and the House. What it means is that our expectation is that we want to be done with this exercise on the 28th of November, 2019. We will be done with the budget.

“Our idea is that from the beginning of December 2019, the budget is ready. You are aware that if we are able to achieve this by the first week of December or the last week of November, we will be on time to make sure that from January 2020, we will kick-start with our new budget of 2020. It is a great achievement.”

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