By Sunny Anderson Osiebe...
Debate on the general principles of 2017 Appropriation Bill ended
on a good note; the legislation enjoyed contributions from almost all
the Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that to its ultimate
progress to the next legislative stage. The Bill scaled through second
reading after a three day consecutive debate on the floor of the Red
Chamber. Unarguably, the plenary session of Thursday, January 26, 2017
presided over by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki was quite unique
with the timely passage of this year’s Appropriation Bill for Second
Reading.
The Third Day of debate on the
2017 Annual Estimates saw more than twenty Senators making submission on
the Money Bill. Some of the law-makers that lent their voices to the
all-important legislation include; Sen. Babakaka Garbai, Sen. Mohammed
Hassan, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Sen. Ibrahim Gobir,
Sen. Binta Masi Garba and Sen. George Akume; who called for a Federal
Government’s Mini Intervention to ameliorate the plight of affected
victims of farmers and herdsmen crisis in Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau
States.
Other Senators that contributed to the
debate were Sen. Abdullahi Gumel; who commended President Buhari for
presenting the Budget of Recovery and Growth which encourages bumper
harvest of agricultural produce across the country. He urged government
to establish Commodity Pricing and Marketing Board to supervise and
market the farm produce within and outside the country.
Speaking
in the same vein, Sen. Shaaba Lafiagi said the 2017 Budget of recovery
and growth comes with great hope of recovery and development of the
nation’s ailing economy. He commended the government for the policy of
Anchor Borrower Scheme for Nigerian farmers to boost production and
create employment as well as generate wealth.
Accordingly,
the following Senators also made their submission on the debate; Sen.
Ben Murray Bruce, Sen. Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Sen. Yusuf A. Yusuf, Sen.
Rilwan Akanbi, Sen. Mustapha Bukar, Sen. Isa Hamma Misau, Sen. Dada
Gbolahan, Sen. Abdullahi Danbaba, Sen. Adeleke Isiaka, Sen. Jeremiah
Useni, Sen. Abubakar Sani Danladi, Sen. Ahmed Ogembe, Sen. Obinna Ogba,
Sen. Murtala Nyako, Sen. Andy Uba and Sen. Sulaiman Nazif; who asserted
that 75% of National Assembly members lose election due to poor
budgeting and oversight which often does not impact positively in the
lives of Nigerians. He called on the Senate to extremely work hard to
ensure that this government’s Social Intervention Programme achieve the
desired result in 2017. He suggested that the budget be subjected to a
public hearing that would allow for wider participation of Nigerians.
The
debate climaxed with a voice vote on whether the Bill be read the
second time or otherwise and response was in the affirmative; the Bill
was read the second time and referred to the Senate Committee on
Appropriation and other Sub-Committees to report in three weeks.
Nevertheless,
the Senate President has disclosed that the Chamber is more concerned
with the tackling of duplication of projects, more independent source of
revenue generation, provision of social infrastructures across the
country, increased allocation to the health sector and most importantly
the Committee should conduct a two day Public Hearing on the 2017
Budget.
Meanwhile, the Senate has deliberated
and passed a Motion titled “Irregularities in the award of contracts by
the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP)”, sponsored by Sen. Dino Melaye.
Accordingly, the Chamber noted with serious concern the irregularities
in the award of contracts for ten (10) and thirteen (13) projects for
the construction and rehabilitation of Roads and Bridges in the first
and second batch of Road and Bridge projects contained in the Ministry’s
2016 budget implementation; requested vide letters dated 7th and 15th
November, 2016 respectively from the BPP for due process certificate to
award contracts for ten and thirteen projects for the construction and
rehabilitation under the 2016 Budget Implementation were made. The
Motion sailed through with a single resolution below:
i) Direct
the Senate Committee on Public Procurement to carry out a comprehensive
investigation into the matter and report back in one week.
However,
the Senate has adjourned plenary session to the 21st of February, 2017
to allow the Committee on Appropriation and other Sub-Committees of the
Senate to engage the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)
on the defence of their 2017 Budgets.
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