National Assembly To Pass 2023 Budget On Thursday

The National Assembly is set to pass the 2023 Appropriation Bill into law on Thursday before embarking on Christmas break.

Naija News reports that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, made this known on Tuesday while speaking with State House Correspondents.

Gbajabimaila had earlier met with President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The Speaker said the lawmakers will pass the 2023 Budget pass it to the President for his assent to keep up with the January-December budget cycle.

Stamp Duty Controversy

Reacting to the allegation made by Hon. Kazaure Gudaji that over N89 trillion generated from stamp duties was mismanaged, Gbajabiamila said the Jigawa State lawmaker is acting on his own.

Recall that Gudaji, Secretary to the dissolved Presidential Committee on Reconciliation and Recovery of Stamp Duties Revenue, alleged that some officials around the presidency are making attempts to scuttle the work of his committee.

Although the presidency, in a statement by the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu has debunked the allegations, the lawmaker has continued to insist that there is a plan to cover up the alleged corruption.

Gbajabiamila said since the decision to embark on the investigation did not emanate from the House, the lawmakers will not intervene.

He added that unless the integrity of the House, individual lawmakers, or the leadership is impugned, the House will not step in.

He said: “It was not based on a resolution of the National Assembly. It was not based on a motion from the National Assembly. I believe he said he had the executive authority to do what he is doing. If that would be the case, I mean, then it’s got nothing to do with the National Assembly.

“Well, the House can only call Kazure to order to the extent that it is impugning on the integrity of the House or individuals or leadership of the House that have nothing to do with what he’s doing.

“I think it’s important to separate the two. If he has the mandate to do something, that’s on him. When it came up, we asked members of the executive they said they were not aware of any mandate or such mandate has been withdrawn.

“I don’t want to get into it. I don’t want to get into it except to the extent that he tries to impugn the integrity of members of the House. And that’s a no-no, we have nothing to do with this.”