The House of Representatives on Tuesday extended the expiration date of the 2020 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from March 31, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, had moved a motion for the extension of the budget’s lifespan, which was unanimously adopted.
Fulata prayed for rescission of lifespan of the budget pursuant to Order 9, Rule 1 (6) of the Standing Orders of the House.
He said, “The House recalls that the budget of the NDDC was passed on December 17, 2020, with an expiration date set at March 31, 2021.
“The House notes that the lifespan of a budget should be 12 months to enable the agency achieve substantial implementation of the capital component of the budget, thus the NDDC budget ought to elapse on December 31, 2021.”
The lawmaker, therefore, urged the House to rescind its decision on the lifespan of the budget as passed and commit the same to the Committee of Supply for reconsideration.
Meanwhile, the House has begun a review of seven bills from which the President Muhammadu Buhari withdrew assent.
Moving a motion to recommit the bills, Fulata said, “The House notes that the bills above were respectively passed by the House of Representatives, concurred by the Senate and transmitted to the President for assent but the assent was withheld.”