By Paul Effiong, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has increased the proposed budget for 2025 from N49.7trillion that was initially presented to the joint session of the National Assembly in December 2024 to N54.23trillion
The new increment was announced yesterday by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over plenary.
President Tinubu in a letter addressed to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas urged for speedy consideration of the amended budget.
In the letter, the president explained that the increase was derived from N1.4trilliion additional revenues made by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, N1.2trillion made by the Nigeria Customs Service, as well as the N1.8trilliion generated by other government-owned revenue agencies.
At the plenary, lawmakers took turns to commend the president for his efforts in updating the National Assembly of the new development, acknowledging his immense respect for the legislative arm of government.
The green chambers therefore directed the president’s request to its Committee on Appropriation, while urging expeditious consideration and eventual passage.
In another development, the House advocated holistic forest combing by security agencies to ensure that banditry, herders attacks and other criminal activities become history.
This was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by Billy Osawaru and supported by different lawmakers.
While presenting his motion, Osawaru informed that Nigeria has long struggled with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling and vandalism of critical infrastructure, adding that despite various security strategies adopted, the challenges continued to persist, leading to widespread loss of economic fortunes and a general sense of fear among citizens.
According to the lawmaker, “The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in its 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, CESPS, said Nigerians paid a staggering N2.23 trillion as ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
“Additionally, approximately 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households within the same period. These alarming figures highlight the urgent need for a stronger and more effective security response.”
The House, therefore, urged the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies to collaborate with local vigilantes in a comprehensive forest-combing operation across the country, maintaining that the initiative was necessary to prevent the continued hibernation of bandits, kidnappers and criminal herdsmen in remote hideouts.
