The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has revealed that the lawmakers are working to ensure that in line with the reforms of the ninth Assembly, they have the 2023 Appropriation Bill ready for presidential assent before the end of the year.
This was just as President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday transmitted the 2023 statutory budget proposals of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for approval.
Gbajabiamila, disclosed the plan by the lawmakers to ensure that the 2023 Appropriation Bill was ready for presidential assent before the end of the year, while delivering his welcome address at the resumed plenary after three weeks budget defence.
He also said the House would convene a national summit on tertiary education reform next Tuesday and Wednesday, as part of the efforts to meet its legislative agenda commitments to Nigerians.
The Speaker while noting that it was not an easy task to deliver an implementable budget at a time of significant financial limitations, especially ahead of a general election, he expressed optimism that the budget would be ready and assented to by the president next month.
He said, “The limited time available for budget consideration and the demands of the fast-approaching national elections further complicate the picture. However, I am confident that members of the House are alive to our responsibilities and will deliver our objectives in good time and to the benefit of our country.”
On the summit, Gbajabiamila said the meeting would be an opportunity to begin the long overdue national conversation about the future of public tertiary education in Nigeria.
He assured that the presentations and submissions would inform the policy recommendations of the summit and be published in a journal for policy action and academic reference.
“Scholars, tertiary education administrators and local and international stakeholders have been invited to submit papers on the theme of the summit – “Reimagining Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Solutions,” – and other sub-themes provided in a call for memoranda.
” The most consequential decisions we make in government are those that will ensure the vast population of young people in our country are educated and adequately equipped to participate productively in the modern global economy.
“To achieve this, we must ask and answer complex questions about the operating structure of our public tertiary institutions, sustainable funding, education quality and access.
“I urge all members of the House to participate in this crucial national conversation so that your experience, expertise and concerns inform the policy recommendations that emerge from the summit,” he said.
