The Senate has revised portions of the 2025 Appropriations Bill after detecting discrepancies in allocations following its passage by both chambers of the National Assembly last Thursday.
The inconsistencies were identified during the final review conducted by the Joint Committee on Appropriations, prompting necessary adjustments in recurrent spending, pensions, and capital projects.
The allocation for the Ministry of Defence was reduced from ₦2.51 trillion to ₦2.49 trillion, while the budget for the Ministry of Police Affairs was adjusted slightly from ₦1.225 trillion to ₦1.224 trillion.
In the pensions sector, significant increases were made to accommodate additional financial commitments.
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The total allocation for Pensions, Gratuity, and Retirement Benefits was raised from ₦950 billion to ₦1.44 trillion, while Military Pensions and Gratuities saw an increase from ₦252.6 billion to ₦383.9 billion.
Similarly, the budget for the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) was revised upwards from ₦529.4 billion to ₦804.7 billion to ensure adequate funding for pension-related obligations.
Similarly, modifications were made to capital expenditures, leading to reductions in funding for several ministries:
The budget for the Presidency was adjusted from ₦144.4 billion to ₦142.7 billion.
Similarly, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security saw a reduction from ₦1.95 trillion to ₦1.83 trillion.
The Federal Ministry of Works experienced a cut from ₦2.04 trillion to ₦2 trillion, while the Federal Ministry of Education had its allocation decreased from ₦953.9 billion to ₦944.6 billion.
Despite these revisions, the overall budget size remains ₦54.99 trillion.
Allocations for Statutory Transfers (₦3.64 trillion) and Debt Service (₦14.31 trillion) remain unchanged.
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However, the adjustments resulted in an increase in Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure to ₦13.58 trillion while Capital Expenditure dropped to ₦23.43 trillion.
Citing relevant provisions in the Senate Standing Orders (2023, as amended), the Senate has decided to rescind its earlier approval of the affected items.
The revised bill will now be sent back to the Committee of Supply for further consideration and final approval.
