DRAMA As Senate Begins Consideration Of 2016 Budget

The senate on Wednesday, January 20 was divided over the consideration of the 2016 budget submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari.

This began when Ali Ndume, the Senate Leader rose to seek for permission to lead the debate on the budget at the plenary session.

The moment Ndume said this, the senators started grumbling in disagreement. Although some law makers were shouting “order” but to no avail, the noise grew louder.

Babajide Omoworare representing Osun east senatorial district raised a point of order stating that the debate should be confined to the financial and economic state of Nigeria and the government’s financial policy and detailed items in the estimate may not be debated on the second reading.

“There was no need to even wait for any estimate because we are taking the general principles,” said Omoworare.

Olusola Adeyeye who represents Osun central senatorial district expressed his disagreement in considering the budget when it was cleary stated that it was the second day.

He said: “You rightly directed that the debate will last three days and we can even go beyond those three days. The motive in which the Deputy Senate President directed us is inappropriate because it simply states that this is the second day.

Bukola Saraki, the Senate President appealed to his colleagues that the leader should lead the debate and approved the point of order raised by Sen. Omowarare.

He also said that the days for the debate can be elongated to enable the lawmakers to be ready for their debate.

“The debate is done on the general principles of the bill. We have always had a way of how we do our things here in the general interest. The leader proposed he will lead the debate and we had allocated three days fromTuesday.

“If any senator is not prepared to contribute, we will adjust days so everybody is allowed to contribute. Let the leader lead the debate and if you need more days, we can create more days,” said Saraki.

Afrogalleria recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari sent the letter to the National Assembly on Sunday, January 18 which was read on the floor of the senate by Saraki on Tuesday, January 19.

Meanwhile, media reports revealed that President Buhari made massive reductions in the revised 2016 national budget.