Nigeria: President Buhari Writes Parliament, Seeks Approval For $2bn Supplementary Budget

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has written the leadership of the country’s parliament to approve a supplementary budget of N895 billion ($2 billion).

The country’s federal executive council had already approved the sum on June 9.

The request from Mr Buhari was read by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan during plenary on Tuesday.

According to the President, the budget is meant to boost military operations and facilitate procurement of Covid-19 vaccine.

Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria’s finance minister had said after FEC approved the sum that there’s an urgent need for the procurement of vaccines.

“Having noted the need for the urgent procurement of vaccines and also the need for funding, to ensure that Nigeria is able to meet its commitment under the Nigerian Comprehensive AIDS programme, as well as the urgent need to specifically enhance the capacity of our military and paramilitary agencies to tackle the various security challenges that we currently have in the country,” she noted.

“The council on that note approved the 2021 supplementary appropriation bill, in an aggregate expenditure of N895,842,462,917.”

President Buhari had on December 31, 2020, signed the 2021 appropriation bill of N13.59 trillion into law.

By Abel Ejikeme

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