The Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Phillip Agbese on Tuesday disclosed that the Parliament will thoroughly review the 2025 Appropriation Bill transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu in December 2024.
Hon. Agbese who spoke during a media chat in Abuja, explained that various Standing Committees are diligently working on the budget estimates of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) ahead of the passage of the 2025 budget estimates.
He said: “You are aware that we commenced the defence of the 2025 budget estimates earlier this month and so far, we have done a good job.
“As we promised, we did our best to ask the relevant questions and where we were not satisfied, we demanded explanations.
“Some of the MDAs made beautiful presentations, others did not. The media witnessed some if not all these issues during our budget defence sessions.
“What was not done in the media spotlight is that we carried out a surgical operation on these proposals in such a way that Nigerians will get value for their money.
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“As a parliament, we are aware of the difficulties of the times and there is no way we would approve frivolous budgetary demands.
“We made this clear to the Ministers and Heads of agencies that they must look for innovative ways to generate revenue to enable the government to run effectively.
“We also made it clear that we will not approve frivolous demands as proposed to us. They left with this message, aware that with the 10th Assembly, it is never business as usual anymore,” Hon. Agbese said.
While calling on Nigerians to support President Tinubu’s administration in its bid to revamp the economy and deliver on good governance, the Deputy House Spokesman assured that the leadership of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas will always prioritise integrity while dealing with any national assignment.
“From day one, we promised that as representatives of Nigerians, we would ensure that the right thing is done. The budget is about Nigerians and so, anything that goes contrary to the interest of Nigerians will not be of interest to us.”
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