No break until we pass 2021 budget, say Reps

The House of Representatives has said the National Assembly will have to wait to pass the 2021 Appropriation Bill before embarking on end-of-the-year break.

Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Mr Iduma Igariwey, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, stated that lawmakers were committed to maintaining the January-December budget cycle, to which they returned the country this year.

Igariwey noted that the date for embarking on recess would be determined by the readiness of the budget.

It was reliably learnt that the National Assembly plans to go on break on Thursday, barring a last-minute change of plans.

The Senate and House Committees on Appropriations were expected to turn in their report on the budget last Thursday.

Some standing committees which delayed submission of their reports were said to have delayed the process.

Igariwey said the remaining sub-committees had since presented their reports, while the Committee on Appropriations was already harmonising them.