Akwa Ibom Assembly passes 2023 appropriation bill of N700b

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has passed the 2023 Appropriation Bill of the State which amounted to N700billion into law.

The N700billion is made up of N344.005billion for recurrent expenditure and N355.995billion for capital expenditure.

The proposed Bill, which amounted to 0.4% percent of the initial proposed budget size, followed the report of the Hon. Uduak Odudoh-led House Committee on Finance and Appropriation.

The report recalled that Governor Udom Emmanuel during the House sitting on Monday, November 7, 2022, presented his Budget address for consideration, adding that by virtue of Order 8, Rule 1(3) of the Standing Order of the House, the Appropriation Bill 2023 was deemed read for the first time.

After a fruitful clause-by-clause deliberation at the Committee of the Whole and Supply, members unanimously accepted the report and the Appropriation Bill was subsequently passed into Law.

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The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, who presided over the plenary, directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Mandu Umoren to communicate the position of the House to the Executive Governor for assent.

Also, the House received a report on the Amendment of the Standing Orders of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly (Sixth Edition).

The report was presented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, Business, Ethics and Privileges, Barrister Otobong Bob (Nsit Ubium).

The proposed amendment centered on Opening Prayers, Members/Officers/Sitting of the House, Arrangement of Public Business and the Establishment and Jurisdiction of Committees of the House.