Senate Approves Extension To Implementation Period Of 2022 Budget

The Senate has approved an extension to the implementation period for the N18.12 trillion 2022 budget to March 31, 2023.

The Senate approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request on Wednesday during its sitting to extend the implementation period.

This is as Buhari in a letter read yesterday by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, sought an amendment to the Act for an extension of the implementation period.

The letter is titled, "A Bill for an Act to amend the 2022 Appropriation Act in order to extend the Implementation year from the 31st December 2022 to 31st March 2023 and for related matters, 2022(SB.1092).

Being an Executive Bill, it was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, APC, Sokoto East.

Senator Gobir in his lead debate on the General principles of the bill said, ”The authorizing and operative clause in Section 12 is hereby amended by deleting from the last line thereof the words “31st December 2022” and substituting, therefore, the words “31st March 2023

The budget in line with provisions of clause 12 of the Appropriation Act and section 318 of the 1999 constitution which stipulates 12 calendar months for implementation of the budget in any fiscal year ought to have ended on December 31, 2022, having started on January 1, 2022.

President Buhari’s letter reads: ”I write to request your consideration for an amendment into the 2022 Acts expression clause 12, as passed and assented to.

“The 2022 Appropriation Act states, in line with the provisions of section 318 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this Bill expires after 12 months starting from January 1 to December 31, 2022, one assented to.

“The proposed 2022 appropriation supplementary budget submitted to National Assembly for consideration as well as recent 2022 capital releases to MDAs are likely to be utilized before December 31, 2022. due to the late release of the funds which will lapse if the capital implementation is not extended beyond December 2022.

“In light of the above, the National Assembly is requested to amend the 2022 Acts expression clause to reflect March 31, 2023, for the capital components only.

Subsequently, the Senate gave the request expeditious consideration and passage by making it pass the required legislative processes within 30 minutes.

In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan said that an extension given the implementation period of the 2022 budget to March 31, 2023, would provide the required time for implementation of the N819.5 billion 2022 Supplementary budget raised by the President.

Speaking on the request, Senator Muhammad Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South who called for caution in view of the shortness of available time, said, “Mr President, my worry on this extension and supplementary budget is the reality of what we are doing.

"N819.5 billion 2022 supplementary budget targeted for implementation during the extended period, should have been merged with the 2023 budget which will also be passed today. 

“It is not possible for the N819.5 billion supplementary budget implemented within 90 days from now. Let's not deceive ourselves but if the Senate wants to go ahead, so be it.”

The Senate, however, went ahead with the passage of an extension of the implementation period for the 2022 budget.