Tobi Soniyi and Omololu Ogunamde in Abuja
In line with the National Assembly’s
resolve to meet with the executive to iron out the differences over the
2016 Appropriation Bill, Senate President Bukola Saraki last night met
with President Muhammadu Buhari to reach a truce on the budget.
His meeting followed a similar one held
yesterday afternoon between the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and the president on the budget.
President Muhammadu Buhari accompanied by the Vice President Prof Yemi
Osinbajo, Chief of Staff Mallam Abba Kyari, Minister of National
Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, SSAP (SENATE) Sen Ita Enang and SSAP
(House) Hon Sulieman Kawu meeting with leadership of National Assembly
among whom are President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker Rt Hon
Yakubu Dogara and other Principal staff Tuesday night at the
Presidential villa. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE.
Emerging from his closed-door meeting,
Saraki informed State House correspondents that the National Assembly
and the presidency had found a way of resolving the impasse over the
budget.
He said the executive arm of government and the National Assembly agreed to set up committees that would work together to harmonise areas of disagreement.
He said the executive arm of government and the National Assembly agreed to set up committees that would work together to harmonise areas of disagreement.
Saraki said: “We just finished a meeting
with the president and the vice-president. We came to work out the
solutions that we found in moving the budget process forward and we are
happy to say that we have agreed on the way forward, and we believe that
this process will be completed in a matter of days rather than weeks.
“So it is good for Nigerians and for all
of us, we have found a way forward and in a matter of days, the budget
will be ready for the president’s assent.”
When asked what the way forward was, he said: “We have committees that have been set up on our side and also on the executive’s side, we will engage over the next few days, to just tidy up a few loose ends and ensure that the outcome is satisfactory to everyone.”
When asked what the way forward was, he said: “We have committees that have been set up on our side and also on the executive’s side, we will engage over the next few days, to just tidy up a few loose ends and ensure that the outcome is satisfactory to everyone.”
On if the budget would be signed this
week, Saraki said: “You heard what I just said, I said in a matter of
days and not weeks; so you can start counting the days which means that
between now and Monday or Tuesday, I’m hopeful that the budget will be
signed.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Budget
and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who was at the meeting,
said: “We have agreed to work together to resolve all issues in the next
few days and we have also agreed on the modalities of doing so, so it
was a very good meeting, very positive and within the next few days all
issues will be resolved.
“We are working together, both the executive and the legislature, to sort those things out and within the next few days all matters will be resolved.”
“We are working together, both the executive and the legislature, to sort those things out and within the next few days all matters will be resolved.”
Earlier yesterday, the speaker met behind closed-doors with the president on the same matter.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, were present at the meeting with Dogara.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, were present at the meeting with Dogara.
The president’s meetings with the
leadership of the National Assembly came on the heels of the move by 77
first-term senators, known as the G77, to resolve the budget impasse by
Friday.
Briefing newsmen after its meeting in
the National Assembly yesterday, the group said the protracted
controversies over the budget had become embarrassing to the nation,
adding that the group was committed to bringing the impasse to an end by
Friday.
Speaking on behalf of the group, its
chairman and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, added
that the group was formed to promote good governance and simultaneously
provide meaningful support to the president with a view to guaranteeing
the delivery of the dividends of democracy to the citizenry.
Akpabio, who dismissed a media report
that the group was formed to serve as a platform to confront the
president, added that the group was committed to ensuring that the
budget is quickly re-examined and sent back to Buhari for his assent.
He added that the objective of the group was not driven by political affiliation but targeted at deepening democracy.
He added that the objective of the group was not driven by political affiliation but targeted at deepening democracy.
He said: “All the social media reports
that are thinking that this group is meant to confront the executive or
ranking senators – those reports are not true.
“As I speak to you, outside these 77 senators, most of my colleagues who have been in the Red Chamber for a long time are applying to join the group. And they want to move it to G90 so that we can always speak with one voice.
“As I speak to you, outside these 77 senators, most of my colleagues who have been in the Red Chamber for a long time are applying to join the group. And they want to move it to G90 so that we can always speak with one voice.
“The lingering issue on the budget is
something that we feel is embarrassing to Nigeria, not just to the
National Assembly. If we had a group like this, by now that issue would
have been brought to an end.
“But just to reassure you that Mr.
President will have his budget, and we are doing everything possible to
rejig the details of the 2016 budget for Mr. President to sign as soon
as possible.
“We hope we can finish that by this Friday so that things can take off in the Nigerian economy.
“The group is apolitical and cuts across the Labour Party, PDP and APC. We are all senators of the Eighth Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are not interested in political parties, we are interested in Nigeria and we will only be discussing national issues.
“We hope we can finish that by this Friday so that things can take off in the Nigerian economy.
“The group is apolitical and cuts across the Labour Party, PDP and APC. We are all senators of the Eighth Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are not interested in political parties, we are interested in Nigeria and we will only be discussing national issues.
“We are not set to confront any
executive, rather we will work with the executive. The intention of this
group is to deepen democracy, ensure the sanitisation of the Senate and
to shore up the image of the Senate and most importantly to give the
president the needed support so that at the end of the day, we will have
a better country for all.”
Earlier, Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, said
the National Assembly leadership and the presidency had scheduled a
meeting on the budget crisis for 3 pm last Friday, but the meeting was
cancelled because the information was circulated after most lawmakers
had left Abuja for their various constituencies.
He assured Nigerians that the meeting would hold this week, but dismissed speculations that a letter had been sent to the Senate by Buhari on the “grey areas” in the budget.
He assured Nigerians that the meeting would hold this week, but dismissed speculations that a letter had been sent to the Senate by Buhari on the “grey areas” in the budget.
Ndume added that since appropriation was
the business of the National Assembly, no one should have expected that
the budget would have been returned to the executive without being
tinkered with.
Also yesterday, the National Assembly Service Commission rejected the order from Saraki asking it to reverse the appointment of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, as the acting Clerk of the National Assembly.
Also yesterday, the National Assembly Service Commission rejected the order from Saraki asking it to reverse the appointment of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, as the acting Clerk of the National Assembly.
The commission last week announced the
appointment of Sani-Omolori as replacement for Mr. Salisu Maikasuwa, who
would proceed on terminal leave on May 14.
But Saraki ordered the reversal of the appointment, saying it did not follow due process because the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Benedict Efeturi, is the senior officer to Sani-Omolori.
But Saraki ordered the reversal of the appointment, saying it did not follow due process because the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Benedict Efeturi, is the senior officer to Sani-Omolori.
However, in a letter addressed by the
commission’s Executive Chairman, Adamu Fika, to Saraki, the commission
explained that Efeturi was not appointed as Maikasuwa’s successor
because it is against civil service rules to appoint an officer whose
terminal leave is around the corner in an acting capacity, pointing out
that Efeturi would also proceed on terminal leave on August 2.
“In the light of the foregoing, Your
Excellency will agree that reversing the decision of the commission
appointing Mr. Mohammed A. Sani-Omolori as the acting Clerk of the
National Assembly cannot be tenable in the circumstances,” Fika said.
Meanwhile, protesters clashed at the National Assembly complex yesterday, when pro-Saraki and anti-Saraki protesters stormed the parliament and respectively demanded the continuity or resignation of the Senate president.
Meanwhile, protesters clashed at the National Assembly complex yesterday, when pro-Saraki and anti-Saraki protesters stormed the parliament and respectively demanded the continuity or resignation of the Senate president.
While the pro-Saraki’s protesters first
arrived at 10.30 am brandishing different placards with inscriptions:
“Stop witch-hunting (sic) Saraki,” the anti-Saraki group arrived 30
minutes later under the aegis of Citizens United for Peace and Stability
(CUPS).
Saraki is currently facing trial at the
Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for alleged false declaration of assets
between 2003 and 2011 when he was the governor of Kwara State.
The pro-Saraki protesters rejected the ongoing trial of the Senate president, describing it as nothing but an attempt to muzzle the Senate.
The pro-Saraki protesters rejected the ongoing trial of the Senate president, describing it as nothing but an attempt to muzzle the Senate.
They called on Nigerians to resist any
attempt by those they described as enemies of democracy to halt “the
progress the Senate has made in defence of democracy”.
However, the anti-Saraki protesters who were mainly youngsters and clad in T-shirts with the inscription, “#Occupy National Assembly,” vowed to sustain their protest until Saraki is ousted from office. They vowed to besiege the National Assembly for four days.
However, the anti-Saraki protesters who were mainly youngsters and clad in T-shirts with the inscription, “#Occupy National Assembly,” vowed to sustain their protest until Saraki is ousted from office. They vowed to besiege the National Assembly for four days.
The protesters attempted to force their
way into the National Assembly complex but were prevented by security
agents who quickly shut the main gate of the institution and stopped
exit and entry into the National Assembly.
The development forced staff and
visitors into the National Assembly to make use of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation’s (SGF) gate to gain entry and exit.
Other than demanding Saraki’s resignation, the anti-Saraki protesters also said they were occupying the National Assembly for alleged padding of the 2016 budget, a situation which they said was responsible for the delay in the president’s assent to the document.
Other than demanding Saraki’s resignation, the anti-Saraki protesters also said they were occupying the National Assembly for alleged padding of the 2016 budget, a situation which they said was responsible for the delay in the president’s assent to the document.
According to them, the delay has resulted in untold hardship for hapless Nigerians.
Some of the inscriptions on placards carried by the protesters included, “Enough is Enough,” “Occupy NASS to Stop Corruption,” “Legislating, Yet, Legislooting, No,” “To Keep Nigeria Going, Nigerians Must Stand Up.”
Some of the inscriptions on placards carried by the protesters included, “Enough is Enough,” “Occupy NASS to Stop Corruption,” “Legislating, Yet, Legislooting, No,” “To Keep Nigeria Going, Nigerians Must Stand Up.”
Reacting to the protest, Ndume described the “Occupy National Assembly,” action as a dangerous trend not healthy for democracy.
According to Ndume, only constituents who elected lawmakers into the National Assembly have the right to demand their ouster through a process of recall.
According to Ndume, only constituents who elected lawmakers into the National Assembly have the right to demand their ouster through a process of recall.
He said: “That is why we are not trying
to say anything about them because what is happening out there is a very
dangerous precedent that we are trying to set and I want to even say
that it is something that if you are right, you have to be able to
prove; Nigerians and you too the press will have to be able to help to
define these rights, know where your rights end and my own starts.
“I contested to be senator for Borno South. I did not force myself on my people and therefore somebody out there, especially the one that did not elect me, cannot force me out because I didn’t get here by force.
“I contested to be senator for Borno South. I did not force myself on my people and therefore somebody out there, especially the one that did not elect me, cannot force me out because I didn’t get here by force.
“I came in by the ballot, not by the
gun, not by placards. I have posters but not placards. So if for
example, I am short of performance and my constituents feel that they
don’t have time to waste, there is a clear cut process to collect
signatures and ask for me to be recalled.
“That is the democratic way, not by coming in here to stand and say you want to occupy National Assembly.”
“That is the democratic way, not by coming in here to stand and say you want to occupy National Assembly.”
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