Sen. Olamilekan, the appropriation committee chairman, urged all sub-committees to adhere to the deadline to ensure the National Assembly meets the January-December budget cycle
The National Assembly, through its joint committee on Appropriation, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to all sub-committees to submit their reports on the 2024 budget estimates.
This is as the sub-committees began submitting their reports to the joint committee on Monday.
Beginning with the committee on tourism chaired by Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT) and the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations chaired by Senator Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), the appropriation committee began receiving the reports.
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While speaking to the committees who were present to submit their reports, Sen. Olamilekan said: “I am appealing to all my colleagues to please, I am ready, and the deadline is Wednesday this week to receive all reports, all standing committees of the senate.
“By Wednesday, any agency or any committee that has not submitted their report before the committee has assumed that you are giving us the omnibus power to go ahead and treat your budget independently of that committee.
“So, we are appealing to all chairmen of various committees to please submit their reports on or before Wednesday this week.”
In the presentation of his reports, Sen. Umeh told the committee that the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) is handicapped due to poor funding as they were given a budget of N1.2 billion for 2024, out of which N652.9 million was for capital expenditure.
He further stressed that in respect to the workload of NIDCOM, N4.9 billion was recommended by his committee as the agency’s capital budget.
Olamilekan however promised to review the report with his committee and find a way to increase the budget of NIDCOM, considering the important role it plays.
