Senate Approves Buhari’s N22.7 Trillion Extra-budgetary Spending

The Senate on Wednesday approved the request by President Muhammadu Buhari for the sum of N22.7 trillion spent by the executive arm without the initial approval of the National Assembly.

Naija News reports that the N22.7 trillion is money borrowed by the Federal Government from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the “ways and means advances”.

President Buhari had asked the Senate to approve the sum in December 2022, but some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators kicked against it.

The opposition lawmakers demanded that records of what the funds were spent on be provided before approval is given to his request.

Following the uproar the request caused in the senate, Senate President Ahmad Lawan appointed the Senate Leader, Ibrahim Gobir, to chair an ad hoc committee and liaise with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on the spending.

However, the Red Chamber finally approved the request during plenary, after the Senate Leader, Ibrahim Gobir, presented a report of the committee before the lawmakers at Wednesday’s sitting.

Gobir said some of the beneficiaries of the funds are the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ECOWAS national unit), Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading, Azura Power West Africa, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, and Accugas Limited.