The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday increased the 2018 national budget proposal by 6 percent. From the N8.61 trillion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Senate increased it to ₦9.12 trillion.

The increase was contained in the long-awaited report on the 2018 Appropriation Bill from the Senate’s Committee on Appropriation which the upper legislative chamber received on Tuesday.

A breakdown of the proposal of the Senator Danjuma Goje – led committee which was presented during plenary shows that the sum of ₦530 billion was earmarked for Statutory Transfer; ₦2.2 trillion for Debt Servicing; ₦199 billion for Sinking Fund for maturing Ioans; ₦3.5 trillion for Recurrent (non-debt) Expenditure while ₦2.9 trillion was appropriated for Capital Expenditure.

The 2018 budget, which is the most delayed since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 is expected to be passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday or Thursday this week.

The budget increase was the highest in six years since the 2012 increase of 6.2 percent by the legislative arm of government under the administration of former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.