The Senate yesterday approved President Umar Yar'adua's additional supplementary budget of N353.6 billion as part of total expenditure for the 2009 fiscal year. This is apart from the initial N3. 049 trillion that was approved by the National Assembly last December for the 2009 fiscal year.

The report of joint Senate Committees on Appropriation and Finance shows that government is to spend additional N100 billion as recurrent expenditure, while N253.5 billion is to be added to the development fund as capital expenditure.

A breakdown of the approved supplementary appropriation bill shows that, the ongoing dualisation of Airport and Kubwa roads was allocated N47 billion naira despite the recent virement of N24 billion naira from budget of the Health and Education departments of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Ministry (FCTA).

Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) also got N15 billion naira in the approved budget while another N20 billion naira will used to purchase 25 railway locomotives.

Senate will today also begin to consider the N4.079 trillion 2010 budget estimates presented yesterday by the Special Adviser to President Umaru Musa Yar'adua on National Assembly matters, Senator Muhammed Abba Aji.