Theย 8thย Senate returns toย regularย businessย on Tuesdayย as it continues workย on the 2017 budget and several economic priority bills which are at different stages of their passage. Its President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki will also read the two pending letters from President Muhammadu Buhari on extension of his holiday in London and the nomination of Justice Walter Onoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria ย (CJN).
On February 2nd, the Senate adjourned itsย normal plenary session schedule forย three weeks to enable members participate in their variousย committees for the defence of budget estimates by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Also within the period, forย the first time in the history of the Nigerian parliament,ย theย House of Representatives and the Senate held a joint three-day Appropriations Committee public hearing on the 2017 budget.
โBy all accounts the public hearingย event was anย outstanding successโย said the Senate President.ย โFederal ministers, private sector leaders, civil society organizations and othersย all participated in what I like to call theย โpeopleโs budgetโ processโ,ย Sarakiย noted.ย ย Gover
โIt isย the intentionย forย the public hearing exercise to beย institutionalizedย as a yearly exercise to promote governmentย transparency and greater public participationย in the processโย heย added.
The Senate President saidย โit is veryย important for the executive branch and the legislature toย continue to work together toย get the spending plan right.ย The months ofย collaboration will determine the extent to which the appropriations spendingย begins to grow the economy and create jobs.โ
Fromย tomorrow, various committees are expected to start submitting reports to the Committee on Appropriations based on schedule earlier provided as a result of the conclusion of budget defence by MDAs.
ย This will be followed by compilation of the reports by the Appropriation committee and engagement with the leadership of the Senate and interface with some committee where necessary. The last stage of the budget process will be laying of report at plenary by the Appropriation Committee as well as the consideration ย and passage of the Appropriation Bill.
Simultaneously, theย Senate will also begin to consider several economic reform bills that form theย basis of the Red Chamberโsย priority economic agenda.ย This coming week alone may seeย two such bills,ย the Independentย Warehouse Regulatory Agency Act andย the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), come up during plenary session.
End
Signedย
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity
