Posted by On Tuesday, the House of Representatives reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a swift passage of the 2024 Appropriation bill when it is brought to the Parliament.
The promise was provided in Abuja, during the inaugural meeting of the Standing Committee, by Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations Abubakar Bichi. He said that the committee will exercise its oversight power over relevant government institutions in the course of monitoring the implementation of the budget.
Bichi reaffirmed that they are prepared to uphold the Financial Year Act by passing the budget on or before the 31st of December in order to guarantee that the budget will be implemented from the beginning of the year all the way through to the conclusion.
He promised that the committee would oversee the implementation by each of the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and he insisted that the function of the committee was not solely related to the appropriation of funds from the budget.
The lawmaker stated that the Appropriations Committee is one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of lawmaking through appropriations of funds, and revealed that the panel will facilitate strategic meetings with the Chairmen of Finance, National Planning, and Aids, Loans and Debt Management. The lawmaker also stated that the Appropriations Committee stands as one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of lawmaking through appropriations of funds.
According to him, the purpose of the action was to collect data that will make it easier for the committee to function effectively in order to ensure that an inclusive budget is prepared, that it is implemented appreciably, and that it exercises effective oversight.
His words: “it is significant to note that the Appropriations Committee stands as one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of lawmaking through appropriations of funds to run the affairs of government by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government.” The Appropriations Committee champions the course of lawmaking through appropriations of funds to run the affairs of government by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government. Because of this, the Committee’s jurisdiction is significantly expanded in compared to that of other Standing Committees.
Order 20, Rule 15 of the House of Representatives Standing Orders, 10th Edition, 2020 as Amended gives the Committee the authority to coordinate, monitor, and supervise the execution of all Appropriation Acts following their passage by the National Assembly. This is one of the most important responsibilities that the Committee has.
“This authority will be effectively utilized to exercise oversight jurisdiction over relevant agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the National Economic Intelligence Agency, amongst others, in order to monitor the implementation of the budget.
“In furtherance of this significant duty, the leadership of the Committee will initiate strategic meetings with the Chairmen of Finance, National Planning, and Aids, Loans and Debt Management in order to gather data that will facilitate effective function of this Committee in ensuring inclusive budget preparation, appreciable implementation, and effective oversight.
“In addition, the Committee will maintain the sustainability of the long-established and treasured precedent of assuring compliance with the Financial Year Act through the passage of a budget on or before the 31st of December of each financial year. This will be accomplished by ensuring that the Committee passes a budget on or before the end of each fiscal year. The implementation of the budget from January to December will undoubtedly become both operational and attainable as a result of this development.