Senate convenes emergency sitting today over supplementary budget

The Senate has convened an emergency sitting to consider President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s supplementary appropriation for the 2024 fiscal year.

The cost of the yet-to-be-acquired presidential jet will be included in the budget, according to sources. Lawmakers, both in the House of Representatives and the Senate, were to resume recess on July 2, 2024. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) however, said on Wednesday that the Senate would hold plenary on Thursday to deal with a variety of issues including appropriation.

The Senate spokesman said, “Senate has the constitutional power to regulate its sessions and we believe that we could gain one more legislative day to deal with national and constitutional issues, hence the bringing forward from the initial July 2.

“We hope to deal with issues concerning our further oversight on the appropriations and clear further the hanging issues of constitutional and electoral concerns.”

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On Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio refuted reports that the Senate had approved the purchase of new presidential jets.

He described as malicious a report quoting him to have said the National Assembly would approve the purchase of new aircraft for the president and vice president irrespective of the harsh economic situation in the country.

The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence had recommended the purchase of new aircraft for the president and the vice-president as the existing presidential jets are faulty and unsafe for use.