The National Assembly has rejected the N165 billion proposed budget for the Nigerian Judicial Council for the 2024 Fiscal year for being too paltry.
This was the position of the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.
It has thus summoned the Director General, Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, to appear before it on Thursday at noon.
The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Shehu Kaka, gave the directive before adjourning the budget defence session.
Both the Minister and Director General are expected to explain why such a crucial agency and an arm of the government will be appropriated such a meagre sum.
According to the lawmakers, the budget as presented has failed and cannot be implemented as the proposed sum of N165 billion for the NJC will turn the judiciary to a beggar.
The lawmakers also wanted the N15 billion outstanding from the 2023 budget of N150 billion to be released to the NJC as soon as possible to carry out its constitutional mandate.
They stressed that the National Assembly has laws which budget formulations are premised on and with the submission by the NJC, those provisions have been breached.
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The Committee therefore adjourned till Thursday (today) to allow Akabueze and Bagudu to appear before it with clarifications on the funds appropriated for the NJC.
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