We will comply with Financial Act, speedy passage of 2014 budget -Reps assure Tinubu

•Vows to monitor over 1000 MDAs

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives on Committee on Appropriation, Tuesday assured president Bola Tinubu of speedy passage of the 2024 Appropriation Bill when brought before it.
The lawmakers also vowed to exercise their oversight jurisdiction over relevant government agencies in its monitoring of the budget implementation.
Chairman of the Committee, Abubakar Bichi, who stated this at the inaugural meeting of the committee on Tuesday, said the lower chamber will ensure the sustenance of the long established precedent of ensuring compliance with the Financial Year Act through budget passage on or before 31 December of each financial year.
According to him ,this development will no doubt makes the budget implementation from January to December operational and achievable.
He vowed that the panel will monitor implementation by all the Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs), saying the committee work is not just about budget appropriation.
Noting that the Appropriations Committee stands as one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of law making through appropriations of fund, Bichi observed that the panel will facilitate strategic meeting with Chairmen of Finance, National Planning and Aids, Loans and Debt Management.
He said the move was to gather data that will facilitate effective function of the committee of ensuring inclusive budget preparation, appreciable implementation and 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 law making through appropriations of funds to run the affairs of government by Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government. This makes the Committee enjoys a wider jurisdiction in comparison with other Standing Committees.
“More significantly, the Committee is empowered by Order 20, Rule 15 of the House of Representatives Standing Orders, 10th Edition, 2020 as Amended to coordinate, monitor, and supervise the implementation of all Appropriation Acts after passage by the National Assembly.
“This power will be effectively utilized to exercise oversight jurisdiction over relevant agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and National Economic Intelligence Agency among others to monitor the budget implementation.
“In furtherance of this significant duty, the Committee’s leadership will initiate a strategic meeting with Chairmen of Finance, National Planning and Aids, Loans and Debt Management to gather data that will facilitate effective function of this Committee of ensuring inclusive budget preparation, appreciable implementation and effective oversight.