SENATORS yesterday resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari next week to end the budget row —amicably.
The meeting is to take place either Monday or Tuesday, depending on the President’s choice.
Ahead of next week’s meeting, the Senate
has raised a committee to review the disputed items in the budget and
harmonise them in line with what was presented to the National Assembly
by the President, who has sent a list of the grey areas and mutilated
items to the National Assembly. One of such areas is the Calabar to Lagos
rail project.
The senators’ decision to meet with the President was the highlight of yesterday’s Executive Session.
Most senators were disturbed by four things at the closed door meeting, a source said. These are:
- breakdown of communication between the Presidency and the National Assembly;
- loss of public sympathy by the National Assembly;
- the proposed Occupy National Assembly protest; and
- negative effects of the budget impasse on the economy and the wellbeing of Nigerians.
It was gathered that most senators at the meeting were unhappy that public opinion was weighing against the National Assembly.
A committee comprising the chairmen of
the Appropriation Committee (Danjuma Goje -Senate and Abdulmumin
Jibrin-House of Representatives) and the Minister of Budget and National
Planning, Senator Udoma Udo-Udoma and others was formed.
The source, who pleaded for anonymity,
said: “At the Executive Session, we all agreed that the Senate appears
to be losing the goodwill of Nigerians, especially on the row over the
budget.
“We have received all the grey areas or
mutilated items in the budget from the Presidency. The President
indicated priority projects which ought to be in the budget.
“After exhaustive deliberations, we have
set up a committee to review and harmonise all these gaps. The
committee is composed of some senators and some members of the
Executive, led by the Minister of Budget and National Planning.
”The committee will start sitting today with a Saturday deadline to complete its assignment.”
Another senator said: “All senators
resolved to meet with the President on Monday or Tuesday as part of a
new rapprochement with the Executive.
“We want to bridge the communication gap
and correct the impression that we are up in arms to frustrate the
Buhari administration.
“To us, Nigeria is greater than any
individual or institution. We don’t want the nation to travel this road
all over. When we meet with the President, we will also make our views
known on certain lapses, which we have observed on the part of the
Executive.
“All of us decided to meet with the
President at the Villa instead of sending a few who might not represent
us well. It is left for the President to give us a convenient date.”
Another senator said the Senate agreed that there was “no need for Occupy National Assembly” planned by some Nigerians.
“We have agreed to address the budget impasse. We felt going the way of Occupy National Assembly will heat up the polity.
“We also cautioned individual Senators
against running to the social media on issues in the Senate when there
is enough freedom for all senators to air their views.
“Some of our colleagues are using the social media to destroy this hallowed chamber.”
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