Senate has passed the 819. 54 billion naira supplementary budget requested by President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter written to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan before the senators adjourned for Christmas celebration.
In the letter, president Buhari said the request for the money is to be used when approved by senate to fund critical sectors such as water and road infrastructure.
The supplementary budget would start implementation at the end of March 2023.
In a related development, the Senate has passed the extension of 2022 Capital projects expenditure from 31st December 2022 to 31st March 2023
This followed a letter written to the Leadership of the National Assembly by president Muhammadu Buhari seeking for the extension of the capital projects expenditure from December 2022 to March ending 2023.
Reading the executive bill by the majority leader, senator Ibrahim Gobir of Sokoto East, said the extension was necessary adding that the president Muhammadu Buhari led Administration has embarked on many projects in 2022 and as such the extension was necessary because such projects were not captured in the 2023.
Supporting the extension of the capital projects of 2022 to March ending of 2023, Senator Mohammed Adamu Aliero and Senator Gabriel Suswam who shares the same view said, the extension was necessary adding that the country went into serious flooding this year in most parts of the country hence, the need to extent the budget to next year’s March ending is apt.
He explained that it would help to mobilise the contractors to go back to sites.
But senator Mohammed Ali Ndume APC Borno South disagreed with the extension saying that the life of this administration is short and wondered at what time can these projects be completed in three months.
However many senators insisted for the extension of the 2022 budget to 2023 March ending.
