The National Assembly committees will today continue with the scrutiny of the 2020 N10.33 trillion budget with some ministers and heads of federal agencies appearing before some of the committees to defend the budget estimates for their Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The federal assembly, as part of programmes line up for the consideration of the budget, will next Wednesday and Thursday hold a public hearing on the 2020 Appropriation Bill.
The MDAs’ budget defence, which commenced last Wednesday will resume today with the Defence Ministry concluding its three-day submission before the Senate committee on Defence headed by former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wammako, in Senate committee room 120 by 11a.m.
The Defence Ministry top officials led by the Minister, Major General Bashir Magasi (rtd), had in the course of its budget defence since last Wednesday, stressed the need to adequately fund the ministry because of the security challenges facing the country, and the need for the military to rise up to the task.
Also today, the Senate Committee on Education (basic and secondary) headed by former Governor of Yobe State, Senator Ibrahim Geidam, will hold a two-day budget defence session with the Minister of Education and heads of education parastatals to defend the budget proposal of the ministry in the Senate conference room 022 by 11a.m. today and Wednesday.