Nigeria: NASS to Pass 2023 Budget in December – Lawan

Mr Lawan said the Senate will start debate on the 2023 budget on Wednesday.

The National Assembly will consider the 2023 budget proposal and pass it by December, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has said.

He said the lawmakers are purposeful, focused and determined to accelerate the passage.

He made this known on Tuesday at a dinner organised in his honour as a recipient of the national honour award of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON).

Mr Lawan was one of the 450 recipients of the national honours conferred by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The president had, on Friday, presented the 2023 budget of N20.5 trillion before a joint session of the National Assembly – the budget he tagged “Budget of Fiscal Sustainability and Transition.”

Total expenditure for the 2023 budget was put at N20.5 trillion. This includes N8.27 trillion for (non-debt) recurrent costs, N5.35 trillion for capital expenditure and N1.1 trillion for overhead costs. While N744.11 billion was earmarked for statutory transfers.

In his speech, Mr Lawan said by Wednesday, the Senate would begin debate on the bill.

“Tomorrow we will start the debate on the 2023 appropriation bill. Like we did before for the three previous sessions, we are going to pass it before the end of December,” he said. “We are purposeful and we are focused. It’s not for nothing that the presidency decided to give us 12 honours.”

He said he believes that the ninth assembly has provided so much input into political stability in Nigeria “because our records are there.”

The lawmaker also hoped that the next assembly would produce more female senators. He said, “it is only logical to get more or half of the population than we have today.”

On the national honour, he said the number of recipients from the Senate this time is the highest and every senator deserves the award.

Another recipient of the award, Sani Musa (APC, Niger), said the honour came at the right time under the tutelage of the senate president.

He added that Mr Lawan has taught his colleagues to be dedicated to the job and the award will spur them to do more.

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