The Senate is expected to round off the collation of reports on the 2016 budget estimates of N6.08 trillion this week for due consideration next week.
According to the chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Danjuma Goje ( APC-Gombe Central), that would be preparatory to the passage of the Appropriation Bill before the end of next month.
Goje who stated this while briefing the Senate on the progress recorded since the presidency presented the budget proposal at yesterday’s sitting, said that his committee had mandated the different sub-committees to make their submissions between yesterday and Tuesday next week.
He appealed to the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Senate standing committees to cooperate with the Appropriations Committee, by ensuring that the Tuesday deadline was met for the submission of their reports.
He said, “Today is the beginning of the submission of reports to us by the various sub-committees. The Appropriations Committee is ready; we are set to start receiving the reports.
“I therefore, urge my colleagues, the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the various committees to cooperate with us to ensure that we conclude this exercise within the one week that was stipulated by this Senate.
“This means that the submissions will start today and end next week Tuesday. If we don’t go by the programme, there will be problem of submission of our report. But because of the importance of this budget, it is incumbent that we go by the programme.
“I want to inform the Senate that the Appropriations Committee is ready to accept the reports. Immediately after my explanation, all the members will go to room 224 where we are ready to start receiving the reports.
“The timetable has been distributed to you and the committees concerned that are supposed to submit their reports as stated in that timetable. So, Mr President, I will like to ask my colleagues, chairmen, vice-chairmen and members of the various committees to cooperate with us to ensure that we conclude this exercise within the one week stipulated by this Senate.
“If we do go by the programme, there would be a problem of submission of our reports. It is therefore, incumbent that we go by the programme during the exercise of receiving our reports within one week to allow us compile the reports and submit it to this Senate for passing into law.”
Reacting to the submission made by Goje, president of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, implored the committees to adhere to the one week target for collating the reports.
“I think, as the chairman of the Appropriations has said, they are ready to receive the reports and am sure the timetable is out and within this week, please let’s ensure that all committees submit their reports to Appropriations Committee, so that we can keep to the timetable, and we will try as much as possible and ensure that time is available so that people can do this report when we are still sitting in the plenary”, he said.
Besides, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday wrote the Senate requesting it to extend the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2015 Statutory Appropriation Act to March 31, 2016.
Buhari in a letter to that effect as read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, noted that the 2015 FCT Appropriation Act was assented to by former President Goodluck Jonathan on the 28th of May, 2015.
He pointed out that the late assent of Jonathan to the document allowed the FCTA only seven months in 2015 for implementation, which he said was not enough to fully implement the Act.
The president further explained that the delay in signing the appropriation bill into law, also affected its implementation in respect of capital projects and other expenditures, resulting in numerous payments for critical and essential projects remaining outstanding.
The letter reads in part: “I am writing to seek the senate’s approval to extend the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) 2015 Statutory Approriation Act to 31 March 2016.
“You may recall that the 2015 FCT Appropriation was assented to by my predecessor on the 28th of May, 2015. The delay affected its implementation in respect of capital projects and other expenditures.In this connection, numerous payments for critical and essential projects are outstanding.
“In view of the foregoing, the Senate is invited to note: the FCT 2015 statutory appropriation assented to on the 28th of May 2015 allowed the FCTA only seven months in 2015 for implementation.
“To meet its obligations and as permissible by the constitution, the FCT 2015 appropriation needs to be extended to 31st March 2016 as that would enable the FCT to make payments for various critical and essential ongoing projects towards achieving a better performance in the implementation of projects for the 2015 statutory appropriation.
C’ttee Submits Report On Abuse Of TSA
Meanwhile, the committee on Banking, Insurance and other Finacial Institutions submitted its report on the abuse of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), to be debated by the Senate at a later date.
The Committee on Ethics also submitted its report on the petition against Total Exploration Nigeria Limited by some of its staff, who were allegedly disengaged without due process of the law.
Senate Unity Forum Distances Self From Marafa
The Senate Unity Forum (SUF) yesterday warned its spokesperson, Senator Kabir Marafa against making further remarks that are capable of denigrating the Senate and, by extension, the National Assembly as an institution.
It chided Marafa for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Senate in recent interviews he granted to journalists.
A source at the meeting told our correspondent that the SUF disassociated themselves from the recent utterances made by Marafa, saying he is not pushing their position.
The source who spoke to LEADERSHIP in confidence said the anti-Saraki senators accused Marafa of pushing the views too far. warning that they cannot be supporting him when he is denigrating the institution of the Senate.
He explained that the forum wondered why Marafa should be talking about delaying of the budget when he was the number one person delaying it by not sitting as chairman of his committee to enable the agencies under the committee defend their budget.
Feel Free To Comments Here...
No comments:
Post a Comment