The Abia State House of Assembly has passed the 2022 Appropriation Bill into law.

The passage of the bill followed the presentation of its report by the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Kennedy Njoku, to make provision for the appropriation of the sum of N147,787,781,300.00 for the services of the Government of Abia State for the year ending 31st December 2022.

However, in a motion moved by the Majority Leader and seconded by the Minority Leader, the Assembly adopted the report of the Appropriation Committee as a working document of the house.

Earlier before the passage of the bill, another motion moved by the Majority Leader and seconded by the Minority Leader, the House amended the Order Paper for the House to dissolve into the Committee of the Whole for the consideration of the report.

At the committee of the whole, the members of the State House of Assembly, deliberated on the content of the report as presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation.

After this, the House reverted to full plenary.

Reporting what transpired at the committee of the whole, the Speaker said the House did a page-by-page consideration of the report and that the House passed all the recommendations presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation.

In a motion moved by the Majority Leader and seconded by the Minority Leader, the House amended the Order Paper to accommodate the Third Reading of H.A.B. 50. (Appropriation bill).

After going through the necessary legislative processes, the Speaker, Rt. Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji said, “this is the time to delete the word Bill and insert the word Law” into the Appropriation.

The Speaker, therefore, said the law shall be cited as the Abia State of Nigeria Appropriation Law and shall come into effect from 1st January 2022.

Subsequently, H.A.B. 50, Abia State of Nigeria Appropriation Law was passed into law.

The House adjourned its plenary sitting to Monday, 31st January 2022.

Recall the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, had on December 7, 2021, presented the 2022 budget to the state.

The 2021– 2023 budget titled Abia State Budget Proposals (Estimates) was presented to the 7th Abia State House of Assembly on Monday.

Governor Ikpeazu said the budget targets recovery of the State economy with a measurable growth path from the COVID-19 pandemic going forward adding that his administration would support local technologies and techniques.