2014 budget: Tambuwal, House revise APC’s directive to members

Appropriation Bill is constitutionally imposed on the National Assembly by sections 4, 59 and 81 of the 1999 Constitution, a six-man adhoc committee yesterday told Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
The committee said the House might not, under whatever guise, abdicate this all important constitutional responsibility.

Tambuwal had last week set up the adhoc committee, which included the House Committee on Rules and Business, Sani Tsoka, his deputy, Sunday Adepoju, chairman House Committee on Judiciary, Aminu Shehu Sagari, his deputy, Ken Chikore, chairman House Committee Justice, Ali Ahmed and his deputy Chukwuemeka Nwaogwu, to advise him on the way forward on the budget within 24 hours.

Reading the advice yesterday at the plenary session, Tsoka told the Speaker that not to pass the budget is to invite chaos, anarchy and untold hardship on the citizenry “who cannot, by the wildest imagination, be held contributory negligent in the looming impasse”.
While ruling on the advice of the adhoc committee, the Speaker cautioned members not to allow desperation to be- cloud their sense of judgment.
He noted that the 2015 election is making people to be desperate, adding, “We have the obligation to keep our head up if others are losing theirs”.

“This House has become the face of democracy. Our people believe that we will not abandon them. We need to remember where we are coming from.
“Three years ago, we decided to set aside religion, political and ethnic differences to decide how we conduct ourselves”.
Tambuwal, however, upheld Jime’s point of order just as he upheld the committee’s advice by asking the House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Adeola, to proceed with debate on the budget.