The Senate has adjourned its plenary session and went on recess and will resume on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the recess while presiding over Tuesday’s plenary session on the floor of the Red Chamber.
According to Akpabio, the recess was to enable the lawmakers to participate in the activities marking the 2024 Democracy Day and the Senate’s end-of-session break, having been inaugurated on June 13, 2023. The 10th National Assembly will be one year in office on Thursday, June 13.
Earlier, the Senate passed the sum of N1.911 trillion as the 2024 statutory budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The Senate approved the budget after the upper chamber considered the report of its committee on NDDC during plenary.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuquo Ekpeyoung (APC–Akwa Ibom South), presented the report which indicates that the NDDC proposes to borrow N1 trillion to fund its 2024 budget.
The proposed borrowing, however, was faulted by Senators who posited that it did not follow due process.
They urged that the commission work with relevant government agencies like the Debt Management Office and also comply with the Fiscal Responsibility Act on the process of loan approval.
Meanwhile, the NDDC plans to spend N38.545 billion on personnel costs, N29.246 billion on overhead costs and N8.785 billion on internal capital.
Also, the NDDC projected N324 billion as the federal government’s contribution and N25 billion from the Ecological Fund.
