House of Reps set for showdown over Rivers crisis

House of Reps set for showdown over Rivers crisis

Posted by Sylvester on Thursday, January 30, 2014 0

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• Senators debate budget, seek economic policies review

All Progressives Congress (APC’s) directive to its lawmakers in the National Assembly to block all executive bills got a boost yesterday in the House of Representatives when members said they will stop 2014 Budget allocations to the police over their handling of the Rivers crisis. They also vowed to block capital projects funds. With this resolve, showdown looms between APC and PDP lawmakers.


However, it was a different ball game in the Senate when APC lawmakers ignored the directive and participated in the budget debate. The financial document received knocks and commendation in the Upper Chamber.

Senators were sharply divided along party lines on the second allotted day for the debate of the general principles of the N4.642 trillion 2014 budget.

But they all agreed that the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, must review the economic policies.

Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi) specifically pleaded with the minister to take another look at the politicies.

Adeyemi commended “the robustness of the 2014 budget but admitted that “the budget isn’t a perfect bill, but that’s the beauty of democracy; the ability to discuss the budget

“We do not want IMF and World Bank commendations, what we want is for the minister to provide jobs for our people. We need to touch those areas that are critical and which will touch the people. There are quite a number of areas in this budget that touche the lives of the people but all efforts must be made to complete the Abuja-Lokoja Road…”

Earlier, Vice Chairman of the Education Committee, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, described the 2014 appropriation bill as “a betrayal of Nigeria.”

He accused the minister of returning the country back to its path of indebtedness. “We (Nigeria) are spending so much money to service debt much as the country was back then, and not even under a different minister, but the same minister.”

He accused the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of spending public funds without being held accountable.

According to him, the “PDP and APC must come together to terminate that rascality.”

Senator Gbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos) queried N10 billion budget for cassava bread. “Return the budget to sender. Enough is enough. Nigerians want accountability as far as the revenue of this country is concerned.

Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Kabir Garba Marafa, demanded to know the whereabouts of the unspent N1 trillion capital funds appropriated in the 2013 budget. “N1 trillion wasn’t released for the 2013 capital budget. What happened to the unspent funds? Are the monies being rolled over to the 2014 budget or are the projects being rolled over to 2014?”

Debate on the budget will be concluded today after which it will be forwarded to the Appropriation Committee for further legislative action.

In the House of Representatives yesterday, the lawmakers announced that they will block allocations to police in the 2014 budget over the force’s role in handling Rivers State crisis.

Apart from the police, they also vowed to stop allocations for capital projects

But the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, dismissed APC lawmakers as jesters who should be pitied. He said the budget would be passed with or without them.

Addressing newsmen after yesterday’s plenary, Minority Leader, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, who spoke on behalf of APC caucus in the House, said they will go to any length to frustrate the 2014 budget which he described as anti -people.

Reading from a three-page speech, he vowed: “We will not be party to the appropriation of funds and taxpayers money to a police force that will turn around and use same to maim and kill the same taxpayers. No, we will not.

“We will not support a budget that does nothing for the people we represent. We will not rubber-stamp a budget that seeks to borrow more money at ridiculous rates and further impoverish the country. Indeed, we refuse to support a budget that comes in with a huge deficit.

“We certainly do not agree with a budget that allocates a pitiable 25 per cent for capital expenditure which capital component will only be implemented 30 per cent whilst recurrent will be implemented 100 per cent.

“A budget where the economics do not trickle down to the common man. We do not want to be accessories after the fact by passing a budget when the President or Minister of Finance, who has publicly admitted to the disappearance of 10 billion dollars has not given explanations, but seeks to borrow more money. And who continues to blame shortfall in revenue on crude theft by some phantom thieves”, he said.

Gbajabiamila tackled the Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Accord Party lawmakers who are currently working together with PDP to help pass the budget. He claimed that they have made themselves an appendage of PDP, a toga, he said, was regrettable.

According to him, “we note with bemusement that those who have come out with guns blazing to criticize our most patriotic decision are PDP apologists such as APGA, Labour Party, etc. These are groups that pretend to have a separate identity but are inextricably joined to the hips with the PDP. We advise that the sooner they stopped deceiving Nigerians and merge with the PDP, the better for Nigerians so that a clear choice between two political parties can be made in 2015 by an increasingly oppressed and fatigued electorate.”

However, reacting to the claims, Ogor stated that APC lawmakers were far from reality. He said the legislators were exaggerating their influence, arguing PDP remains the majority party in the House.

He said the defection of 37 members of the party to APC last month, was of no effect since the court has already said the status quo ante should be maintained.

The sun