Posted by On Tuesday, the House of Representatives reaffirmed its commitment to moving the 2024 Appropriations bill through Congress quickly.
Abubakar Bichi, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, made the promise during the first meeting of the Standing Committee in Abuja. The committee would use its oversight authority to keep an eye on how the federal government spends its money.
Bichi reaffirmed the government’s willingness to uphold the Financial Year Act by passing the annual budget on or before December 31. This would allow the budget to be put into effect from the start of the year until its conclusion.
He assured them that the committee would keep an eye on how the various MDAs spent their money and emphasized that the committee’s function was not limited to the allocation of funds.
Lawmaker revealed that Appropriations Committee will facilitate strategic meetings with Chairmen of Finance, National Planning, and Aids, Loans, and Debt Management because it is one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of lawmaking through appropriations of funds.
He explained that the committee’s inclusive budget planning, commendable implementation, and efficient supervision will benefit from the gathered information.
To quote directly from his remarks: “it is significant to note that the Appropriations Committee stands as one of the most prominent Committees that champions the course of lawmaking through appropriations of funds to run the affairs of government by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government.” As a result, the Committee’s authority is expanded relative to that of other Standing Committees.
Order 20, Rule 15 of the House of Representatives Standing Orders, 10th Edition, 2020 as Amended states, “More notably, the Committee is entitled to coordinate, monitor, and supervise execution of all Appropriation Acts after passage by the National Assembly.
The budget implementation will be closely monitored thanks to this authority, which will be used to oversee relevant agencies like the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the National Economic Intelligence Agency.
To fulfill this grave responsibility, the Committee’s leadership will arrange high-level meetings with the heads of the Finance, National Planning, and Aids, Loans, and Debt Management departments in order to collect information that will help the Committee do its job of ensuring the budget is prepared, implemented, and overseen fairly and efficiently by all relevant parties.
The Committee will also continue the long-standing and highly valued practice of passing the annual budget on or before December 31 in order to ensure conformity with the Financial Year Act. This change will undoubtedly make it possible to implement the budget from January through December.