The Senate, Thursday, passed for second reading the N13.08trillion 2021 budget estimates presented to the joint session of the National Assembly for approval by President Muhamnadu Buhari last week Thursday.
This is as the joint committees on Appropriation from both chambers fixed December 3, 2020 for final passage of the budget estimates.
In meeting up with the time, the Senate while passing the budget for second reading, warned all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), not to exceed November 6, 2020 for defence of budgetary allocations proposed for their various agencies.
The passage of the budget proposals followed three days of intensive debates made by Senators, totalling about 62 on its underlying assumptions and projections across the two critical components of projected expenditure and revenue generations.
In his remarks after the passage of the budget for second reading, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said the expeditious consideration given to the 2020 budget in 2019 which helped in returning the budget implementation cycle to January December ,will be given to the 2021 proposals before the National Assembly.
He added by disclosing that from Tuesday next week, both Chambers will suspend plenary for full blown budget consideration at committee levels for three weeks which will end in the first week of November .
He emphasized that the three weeks window should be strictly complied with by heads of the MDAs as accordimg to him, after the expiration of the period , estimates proposed by the budget office for any of such MDAs , will be adopted without any adjustments.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly has set for itself a deadline to complete work and submit the 2021 budget by December 3, 2020.
