By: Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has given some standing committees a deadline for the submission of their budget reports to the leadership of the House.
Gbajabiamila gave the order at the resumed plenary of the House on Tuesday saying the Committees should use the two days grace to complete their budget defence report.
The committees are Aviation, Finance, Army, Science and Technology, Commerce, Solid Minerals, Health Services, Health Institutions, Works and Basic Education. They are to submit their budget defence reports to the Committee on Appropriation latest on Thursday.
Others are Committees on National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Agriculture, Labour and Employment, Tertiary Education, Poverty Alleviation, Gas Resources, and Youth Development, amongst others.
The House had on Tuesday adjourned plenary from Tuesday October 20th to November 22, 2020 to enable lawmakers to have adequate time to hold budget defence sessions with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs).
Earlier the period given for budget defence and submission of budget reports to the Appropriations Committee was between 11th and 18th November.
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The House is obviously trying to meet its promise to deliver a January to December budget circle to the country for the second year running.
Gbajabiamila said the committees have 48 hours grace to “submit their budget unfailingly as it will close on Thursday and there will be no extensions.”
Also, the House honoured the deceased newspaper vendor, Ifeanyi Okereke who was killed by a security aide attached to the Speaker’s convoy last Thursday
Before the commencement of the plenary, leaders of the Abuja Newspapers Distributors Association (ANDA) and the Newspapers Vendors Association, Abuja (NVAA) had gathered in the chamber following the invitation by the Speaker,
Thereafter, the slain vendor was honoured by the Speaker.
