The Senate and House of Representatives will start reviewing the ₦49.7 trillion 2025 budget at the committee level today. This process follows the second reading of the budget, presented by President Bola Tinubu on December 18, 2024.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, announced a tentative timeline for the budget process during a meeting in Abuja with other committee chairmen. Budget defense sessions with heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) will run from January 3 to January 18, 2025. Stakeholder inputs, including those from the public, are scheduled for Thursday, January 4.
The final budget report is expected to be presented to the Senate and House of Representatives by January 31, although this date remains tentative. Senator Adeola acknowledged the tight timeline but emphasized the importance of a thorough review.
Key Senate leaders, including Deputy Leader Senator Lola Ashiru and Senate Whip Senator Tahir Monguno, attended the meeting. A closed door session followed to finalize the schedule and strategy for expediting the budget’s passage.
The National Assembly is set to suspend plenary from January 14 to January 31 to focus on the budget review process.