NASS Approves N10.6bn For Members’ Allowance

NASS Approves N10.6bn For Members’ Allowance
BY EDEGBE ODEMWINGIE AND BODE GBADEBO
— Dec 2, 2015 4:54 am | Leave a comment
The National Assembly yesterday increased the 2015 Supplementary Budget from N465,636,926,857 to N574,532,726,857 to accommodate fresh fuel subsidy claims of N108,895,800,000 for three months (October to December 2015) which were not contained in the original supplementary budget submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Going by the approved supplementary budget, oil marketers will now be paid N522,258,934,505 in subsidy claims, up from the N413billion requested by President Buhari to pay subsidy from January to September 2015.
The approval followed the adoption of the reports of the Danjuma Goje-led Senate Committee on Appropriation and the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation chaired by Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin.
The Senate expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the Executive to provide the needed details for the approval to be granted, but went ahead to approve the budget yesterday.
The Senate had requested for, among other things, the details of the debt owed oil marketers.
Further breakdown of the approved Supplementary Budget shows N29.9 billion for Operation Lafiya Dole – the anti-insurgency campaign in Nigeria’s North East.
Also, the National Assembly Management is to get N10.6 billion to cover outstanding payment of severance gratuity and allowances of outgone and incoming legislators and legislative aides.
The National Sports Commission will get N1.5 billion for the All Africa Games qualification for Rio 2016 Olympics.
The National Assembly approved N5 billion for the Victims Support Fund which will be drawn from the Service Wide Vote since it is a federal government contribution to a fund managed by a committee which is not a ministry, department, or agency of government.
Why Nigeria may not gain from N2.7trn investment in power sector – Dogara
Nigeria may not get significant benefits from a whopping N2.7 trillion spending by the federal government on the power sector since 1999 to date if a definite measure is not taken to address the challenges facing the sector, speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has said.
Dogara stated this while declaring open an investigative public hearing on the activities of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) conducted by the House Committee on Power at the National Assembly yesterday.
The speaker, who was represented by the deputy speaker of the House, Hon. Yusuf Sulaiman Lasun, said the power sector was critical to the economic growth of the country, while lamenting that despite the huge sums of money spent in the last 16 years, recurring challenges still persist in the sector.
“The power sector is critical to the economic health of our nation, the reason being that electricity drives modern life as we know it today. It is difficult to imagine life without electricity.
“The sector has enjoyed substantial government investment over the decades. In fact, from 1999 to date, the federal government has spent an astonishing N2.7 trillion on the sector, and yet teething challenges persist.
“It is obvious that if definite action is not taken to correct the hiccups, we would not make any significant gains. It is thus the duty of all stakeholders to work together to enable our country get it right in the power sector,” Dogara said.
He noted that if properly managed, the sector can set Nigeria on the path of rapid industrialisation, development and growth, adding that it has the undisputed potential to transform the country from its present Third World status to that of a Developed Nation.
“Events in the sector are, therefore, treated with utmost seriousness by the legislature,” he added.
Fuel Scarcities:
Oil marketers blackmailing Nigeria on subsidy claims – Saraki
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki yesterday accused independent oil marketers of blackmailing the country on petrol subsidy payments which has led to perennial nationwide fuel scarcities.
Saraki made the accusation after the approval of the N574,532,726,857 billion 2015 Supplementary Budget of which N522,258,934,505 billion was approved for payment of subsidy claims.
“On the issue of fuel subsidy, as Nigerians, we must say no to this blackmail by marketers, we must put an end to this issue.
“A lot of us in the past have spoken on this matter and I think we are doing this for the interest of Nigerians but I think it is high time we say no to this blackmail and end this hardship.” Saraki said.
He said the Senate will revisit the subsidy regime when considering the 2016 budget.
“I think the committee on Petroleum Resources both downstream and upstream as well as committee on anti-corruption should oversight and make necessary recommendation to the Senate for further legislative action on this matter.
Earlier, Senate Leader, Ali Ndume faulted subsidy claims by oil marketers. “The only people that believe in the subsidy figures are the people claiming it…. the Senate is being blackmailed, we are left with no option.” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio submitted that in view of the reported fraud in the subsidy regime, President Muhammadu Buhari should scrap subsidy in 2016.
“I believe that from 2016 part of the change this administration has promised should be zero [fuel] subsidy” Akpabio said.