Politics
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The Nigerian Senate and the House of Assembly are divided over the controversial 2016 budget because of the ex-inclusion of the Calabar-Lagos rail project
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Apr 25, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT |
THE controversy over the non-inclusion of the Calabar-Lagos rail project in the 2016 budget has divided the National Assembly. The Senate and the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, April 13, took opposing positions over the budget, while the Senate is saying that they are done with the budget, the lower house said they will review the annual expenditure book.
The Senate, through Senator Abdullahi Sabi, its spokesman, said the Red Chamber is done with the 2016 budget and if there is anything missing in the budget, the executive should come through by way of supplementary budget. “What we issued yesterday remains our position. Today, all we did was confirm the true picture of this situation. I had to verify my facts and speak on those facts. I think we have made that clear.
“Yes, we have passed the budget, Nigerians are asking what next? What is important is for the budget to be signed. The Constitution has taken note of this kind of omissions of allocations. We issued that statement to clarify the situation and not to confront any authority. We are a democratic institution and whatever we do; we remain guided by the ground norm of the Constitution. Like we said, the Lagos-Calabar rail project was not included in the budget and does not in any way undermine the fact that it is an important project for this nation to embark on. The National Assembly is open if the executive brings a supplementary appropriation. We are ready and willing to consider such.”
But Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House of Representatives, said the House will re-examine the budget in view of the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria. He explained that the re-examination is in the interest of Nigerians to ensure an implementable budget. “In view of the prevailing economic situation and in the interest of our people, we have resolved to re-examine the budget with a view to iron out any differences with the executive. This is for the overall interest of the country in order to have a workable budget that is implementable,” he said.
However, the speaker did not make reference to the Calabar-Lagos rail project, which has pitted the Senate against the executive arm of government.
Briefing newsmen after the session, Abdulrazak Namdas, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, explained that the executive was yet to formally communicate with the National Assembly on what the issues of concern in the budget are. He added that the speaker has been designated to liaise with the executive to identify areas of concern, “and if they are of national interest, we are open and we would accommodate them so we can move forward.”
Namdas, however, did not clarify if any additions would only be entertained through a supplementary budget, or in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, which is yet to be signed into law by the president. “If we look at it, and are convinced 60 percent (of the budget) is okay, we would urge the president to sign it and let’s start implementing the 60 percent. Then let’s accommodate others in the supplementary budget. Let’s wait and see what the president would say, and then we would know how to go about the modalities,” he said.
The controversy the budget has pitted southern senators against their northern counterparts, with the former throwing their weight behind the president’s decision to withhold his assent on the budget. For the southern senators the president should not sign the Appropriation Bill until the joint Appropriation Committees of the National Assembly include the Calabar-Lagos rail project in the budget.
THISDAY reported that senators from the South-west and South-south geo-political zones met in their respective caucuses on Tuesday, April 12, where they concluded that the project was deliberately removed because it is a southern project. Their position may have been strengthened by reports that the Appropriation Committee headed by two northern lawmakers diverted allocations to some projects in the north.
The southern senators therefore vowed to resist any attempt to deprive the people of the south access to such a major project. “Personally, I see no reason why the funds in the Ministry of Transport should be moved completely to the Ministry of Works for the construction of roads which belongs to state governments without engineering designs. We are seeking the reversion of this decision because the Calabar-Lagos rail project is very viable and it cuts across states in the South-south and South-west and it would galvanise the social and economic activities of the both regions. Apart from this, the project is a joint venture between Nigeria and China and it is time bound. Any attempt to leave it out of the budget this year, will affect the execution of the project,” a senator was quoted by THISDAY as saying.
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