JUST IN: Reps Convene Emergency Meeting to Extend 2025 Capital Budget

The House of Representatives has scheduled an emergency plenary session to consider a further extension of the capital component of the 2024 Appropriation Act, as well as the 2024 Supplementary Appropriation Act.

The urgent legislative gathering is aimed at providing the executive arm of government with more time to implement critical infrastructure projects captured in the budget, which would otherwise expire.

Lawmakers are expected to deliberate on the financial implications of the extension and ensure that ongoing national projects do not suffer abandonment due to funding cutoffs.

The Acting Clerk of the House of Representatives, Ibrahim Sidi, confirmed the development in an official memorandum distributed to all lawmakers on Sunday.

According to the notice, the special session is scheduled to commence at 11am on Monday. Sidi noted that the leadership of the House convened the meeting “Pursuant to Order Five, Rule 2 sub 2 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives.”

The notice urged all federal lawmakers to cut short their recess and ensure punctual attendance to form a quorum for the crucial legislative business. This emergency intervention follows similar recent extensions by the National Assembly to prevent a vacuum in capital budget execution and to align the fiscal year with economic realities.

Recall that the House of Representatives had previously extended the implementation period of the capital component of the 2023 budget alongside the 2023 supplementary budget to June 30, 2024. That previous extension was similarly aimed at ensuring full utilization of appropriated funds for capital projects across the country.