Barely 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan returned the budget to them for reduction the National Assembly yesterday approved a harmonized estimate of N4.484 trillion for the 2011 fiscal year.
The lawmakers also okayed the proposed N1.5billion for ex-Biafran leader, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu and other Biafran soldiers who were pardoned by the federal government.
There was another N27 billion for rehabilitation of the ex-militants in the Niger Delta.
President Goodluck Jonathan had requested the National Assembly to cut down the budget from the N4.9 trillion passed by the parliament to N4.407 trillion.
With the passage of the N4.484 trillion budget, the Senate has added N77billion to the budget for the 2011 fiscal year.
But the Senate President David Mark in a remark yesterday however asked the executive arm of government to ensure full implementation of the 2011 budget. Mark had earlier warned that the National Assembly would not accept any excuses from the executive for non performance.
He said: "I will like to thank you for this expeditious amendment, and I will also urge the executive to ensure the budget passed by the National Assembly."
Of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, the total sum of N4,484,736,648,992 trillion Out of this, N417,824,288,743, is for statutory transfers; N495,096, 682,115 only is for debt service; N2,425,065,124,967, is for recurrent (non debt) expenditure while the balance of N1,146,750,553,167 is for contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure for the year ending on the 31st day of December 2011.
The lawmakers also increased the bench mark for the fiscal estimate from $64 per barrel of crude oil to $75 at a projected 2.3 million crude oil production per day by the federal government.
Exchange rate was fixed at N150 to $1 while the joint venture production was put at $5.4billion.
Out of the N2.425 trillion recurrent budget Defence has the highest allocation of N309, 783 billion followed by Education, N304, 670 billion. The Police got N296, 569 billion; Health, N202, 458 billion and Ministry of Interior received N135, 182 billion. A total of N154.746 billion is approved for pensions and gratuity.
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