The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has told ministers and heads of various federal government agencies to get prepared to justify their respective allocations within the 2025 budget proposal.
Akpabio stated this on Wednesday following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s presentation of the 2025 budget proposal amounting to ₦47.9 trillion before the joint session of the National Assembly.
In his welcome address, titled “A Call to Unity and Progress,” delivered during the presentation of the 2025 Appropriation Bill, Akpabio cautioned that there would be consequences for those who fail to respond to the National Assembly’s invitation.
He praised President Tinubu for his unwavering dedication to collaborating and cooperating with the National Assembly in pursuit of his ambitious vision for Nigeria.
“However, let me take this opportunity to stress the importance of the Honourable Ministers and Heads of extra-ministerial departments being prepared to respond promptly to requests for them to come and defend their sectoral allocation in the exercise of our legislative oversight.
“We have observed concerning behaviour from some ministers and heads of extra-ministerial departments, who sometimes neglect their duty to promptly submit to legislative oversight, sometimes even disregarding invitations from relevant committees of the legislature.
“It is imperative they understand that we will not condone such breaches of the Constitution going forward,” he said.
