Senate joins Reps, passes 2022 budget of N17.12tn

The Senate on Wednesday joined the House of Representatives to approve the 2022 Appropriation Bill submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Senate also joined the lower chamber to approve an increased version of the document of N17.12 trillion.

This followed the adoption of the recommendations of the report of Senate Committee on Appropriation at plenary on Wednesday.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Oct. 8, presented the 2022 budget proposal of N16.391 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly for approval.

On the controversial issue of the Electoral Amendment, the Senate pledged to consult with the House of Representatives on how to respond to President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.

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Senate President Ahmad Lawan, made this known after the upper chamber rose from a closed session to deliberate on the President’s decision to withhold assent to the electoral bill passed by the National Assembly.

According to the Senate President, the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not permit the upper chamber to exclusively take any action on such matters in the absence of the House of Representatives, since the latter has embarked on recess.

He, however, assured that a joint position would be reached with the House after due consultation with Nigerians to determine the appropriate line of action when both chambers reconvene from the Christmas break in January.

Lawan said: “Senate in a closed session deliberated on matters relevant to the workings of the Senate in particular and, the National Assembly in general.

“The Senate also in the closed session discussed how to respond to the letter from Mr. President on the electoral bill amendment.

“The Senate consequently resolved to consult with the House of Representatives in January when both the Senate and House will be in session.

“Presently, the House of Reps has gone or recess and like we all know, the constitutional provision is for the Senate and House of Representatives to jointly take the appropriate action.

“The Senate also resolved to consult with our constituents during our recess in January.

“The Senate believes that our constituents have a role to play as the major stakeholders in the laws that we make in the National Assembly.”

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