Nigeria: Government begs Senate
The presidency has asked the National Assembly to suspend the current vacations and to answer the requests of the president Muhammadu Buhari pending before the legislature.
The National Assembly was allowed to go on holiday Thursday, but lawmakers went on holiday Tuesday after the alleged crackdown on Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senate Deputy president Ike Ekweremadu.
One of these demands is the one that asks the legislators to allocate funds in the 2018 finance law to finance the supplementary budgets of the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for the conduct of the general elections of 2019.
Buhari had recently presented an additional budget of 228 billion nairas to the National Assembly, asking the legislature to reassign part of the 578 billion N voted to the projects inserted by the legislators in the 2018 appropriation law.
On Thursday, the presidency called on legislators to meet and approve Buhari’s demands in the country’s interest.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the Speaker of the National Assembly (Senate), warned that delaying approvals would destabilize some government bodies.
Enang said: “The executive power – the president and the ministers – will continue to work with the legislature with respect for their offices and their people, and continue to work with them as legislators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who make laws for the executive. political decisions while leaving all options open to conciliation.
“We will be asking the legislature – management and members – to consider that many urgent issues are pending before the legislature and that, if left unaddressed, the functioning of some government institutions will be impeded.
“If you remember, a lot of the funding for the 2018 budget had to come from external sources. The request for approval to raise funds from these external sources is before the legislature and, unless it is taken into account. Consideration, it can hinder Again, before the legislature goes on vacation, Mr. President also submitted to the transfer request, this will also be affected.”
