Chukwu David 
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, disclosed that the report on N54.2 trillion of the 2025 budget estimates would be presented to the Senate by its Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
Akpabio made this disclosure during plenary after a debate on a bill seeking for establishment of a Federal University of Agriculture in Abak, Akwa Ibom State, saying that there was a need for them to quickly end the debate for final work on the 2025 budget.
His words: “You will observe that some of our colleagues are not in the Chamber because of the required final touches on the 2025 Appropriation bill, the report of which will be laid before us tomorrow (Wednesday) or next tomorrow (Thursday) this week.
“So will need to close early to allow for collective efforts in that direction for final consideration and passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill”.
The Senate and the House of Representatives had earlier fixed January 31, 2025, for passage of the N49.7 trillion earlier proposed budget for 2025 by President Bola Tinubu.
However, before the date, both chambers shifted their resumption from Christmas and New Year recess from January 31, 2025, to February 4, 2025, the same day they received communication from President Tinubu on the increase of the total expenditure profile of the proposed budget from N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion.
Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas in their separate remarks after reading the letter, pointed out that the budget proposals would have to be reprocessed for the inclusion of an additional N4.5 trillion.
After reading the letter, Akpabio urged the Committee on Appropriations to expedite action on the request for possible passage of the budget before the end of February.
In line with the earlier promise of expeditious consideration of the request, Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday, announced that a report on the increased budget size of N54.2 trillion would be laid in the Senate on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
