27th June, 2024
By Femi Ogunshola
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to extend the implementation of the 2023 Appropriation Act and the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act until December after initial opposition which led to heated exchange among the lawmakers.
President Bola Tinubu had presented the requests contained in two bills through a letter read on the floor of the house by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas in Abuja.
The bills are titled: “The 2023 Appropriation Amendment Bill, 2024, and The 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Amendment Bill, 2024.
Following its first reading, the Minority Leader of the house, Rep. Kingsley Chinda during debate on the general principles of the bill, expressed reservations about the propriety of accelerating passage of the bills.
He stated that such might not be in the best interest of the country, suggesting that provisions of the bills should be harmonised and included in the anticipated supplementary appropriation Act 2024.
Some of the lawmakers supported the minority leader, leading to rowdiness during the plenary.
However, to clam the situation, the house resolved to enter an executive session to deliberate further on the matter.
The session saw extensive discussions, with members from both sides of the divided contributing their perspectives and suggestions.
Following these deliberations, the house, dissolved into the Committee of Supply to debate the various clauses in the money bills, all of which were carried.
Subsequently, the house reverted to plenary where the bills were read for the third time.
(NAN)