MARGARET CHIDERA
The House of Representatives has passed the 2023 appropriation budget, raising the N20.51 trillion presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to N21.82 trillion.
This followed consideration and approval report of the House committee on appropriation at plenary on Wednesday, by the committee on supply which showed an increase of over N1 trillion proposed estimates of the executive.
Out of the total sum, N967.48 billion is for statutory transfers, N6.55 trillion is for debt service, N8.32 trillion is for recurrent, (non-debt) expenditure while the sum of N5.97 trillion is for contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure for the year ending, 31st December, 2023.
From the statutory transfers, the National Judicial Council takes N165 billion; Niger-Delta Development Commission gets N119.93 billion, Universal Basic Education N103.28 billion; Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) N173.63 billion; National Human Right Commission N4.5 billion; North East Development Commission N59.03 billion; Basic Health Care Fund N51.64 billion and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) N51.64 billion.
Also under the statutory transfers, National Assembly Severance/Inauguration of outgoing and incoming 9th and 10th Assembly (Legislators and Legislative Aides) is allocated
N30.17 billion, National Assembly Office gulps N30.49 billion; Senate N33.26 billion, House of Representatives N51.99 billion; National Assembly Service Commission N10.55 billion; National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) N7.41billion and Service Wide Vote N671.3 million.
Further breakdown shows that
Office of Retired Clerks and Permanent Secretaries take N1.05 billion, National Assembly Library Building N4.25 billion; Constitution Review N850 million; Completion of NILDS headquarters N2.5 billion; Construction of National Assembly Service Commission Building N10 billion and Public Complaints Commission N10.69 billion.
For debt service, domestic debts (including Ways and Means) get N4.49 trillion; foreign debts is allocated N1.81 trillion; sinking fund to retire maturing loans takes
N247.72 billion.
Under recurrent expenditure (Non-debt) the presidency is allocated N76.40 billion, defence gets N1.09 trillion, ministry of foreign affairs N93.68 billion, federal ministry of information & culture N59.82 billion; interior N278.69 billion; Police Affairs N777.40 billion; communications and digital economy N32.13 billion; National Security Adviser N172.60 billion and Secretary to the Government of the Federation takes N70.08 billion.
Also for the recurrent expenditure, Federal Ministry of Special Duties & Inter-Governmental Affairs gets N4.79 billion; Agriculture and Rural Development N85.41 billion; Finance, Budget and National Planning N29.99 billion; Industry, Trade and Investment N16.82 billion; Labour and Employment N15.52 billion, Science, Technology and Innovation N52.33 billion; Transport N18.01 billion; Aviation N9.43 billion; Petroleum Resources N33.15 billion and Works and Housing N34.98 billion.
For the capital expenditure, Presidency is allocated N20.11 billion, defence gets N285 billion, Foreign Affairs N5.85 billion; Information & Culture N11.87 billion; Interior
N45.62 billion; Police N60.64 billion; National Security Adviser N70.33 billion; Agriculture and Rural Development N248.35 billion, Finance, Budget and National Planning N166.74 billion.
Further breakdown of the capital expenditure indicated that Science, Technology and Innovation is allocated N132.57 billion; Transport N74.26 billion; Aviation N49.41 billion; Power N56.14 billion; Works and Housing N398.27 billion; Federal Capital Territory Administration N15.47 billion; Education N153.73 billion; Health N134.90 billion and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development N32.05 billion.
