As the National Assembly resumes plenary tomorrow from its 4- week Christmas/ New year recess , issues on coming general elections, consideration of the N8.83 trillion 2019 budget proposals etc, are set to be in the front burner of legislative business. Taiye Odewale reports.
Only 5 legislative days before presidential poll
The 2019 general elections that will commence in 30 days time, precisely on Saturday, February 16, 2019, with the Presidential and National Assembly polls, will no doubt shape the legislative business or better put engagements of the federal lawmakers as they resume tomorrow from their 4-week recess embarked upon on the 20th of December, 2018.
Little wonder that feelers from the leadership of both chambers ahead of tomorrow’s resumption have revealed that plans are under way by the federal lawmakers to hold plenary for just five legislative days from Wednesday this week to Thursday next week and adjourn for four weeks.
The plan, as reliably gathered by the Blueprint Newspaper from sources within the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives, is primarily geared towards paving way for many of the 469 federal lawmakers seeking reelection into the federal parliament to market themselves to the electorate in their various constituencies during the ongoing electioneering campaigns, which will end in 28 days time.
Why joint session
To this end, the sources disclosed that Wednesday and Thursday this week, the federal lawmakers will hold plenary to set agenda for debate on general principles of the N8.83trillion 2019 budget presented to them by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 19th of December, last year.
Precisely, debate on general principles of the budget as authoritatively gathered, will hold at both chambers from Tuesday to Thursday next week (22- 24 January 2019) for the required passage for second reading and consideration at committee levels where heads of the various federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would be required to appear for defence of budgetary allocations proposed for them in the fiscal year.
The sources disclosed further that motions for adjournment of plenary to Tuesday 19th February 2019, would be moved and adopted at both chambers on Thursday next week to create time for the lawmakers contesting in the elections to campaign while those not contesting, will be engaging heads of the various MDAs at budget defence sessions.
Specifically in the Senate, 68 out of the 109 serving senators are contesting in the February 16 election on different political platforms for return bids into the red chamber while 8 others are on the political field in their respective states contesting for gubernatorial elections slated for March 2, 2019.
The 33 other senators not contesting for any elective positions in the coming elections, are expected by the planned legislative arrangement, to keep the budget defence sessions alive while their colleagues slug it out with their various opponents on the political fields.
An accommodating arrangement
Giving credence to the planned arrangement, one of the principal officers in the Senate confided in the Blueprint yesterday that “suspension of plenary for weeks preceding the Presidential and National Assembly elections after pushing consideration of the 2019 budget to committee levels at both chambers is the best arrangement that can be put in place for the federal lawmakers directly participating in the elections as candidates of their various political parties”.
The source added that such an arrangement would keep legislative business alive at both chambers from Wednesday this week to the time of elections and even after that, particularly on consideration of the 2019 budget proposals.
New minimum wage bill
Aside the 2019 budget, both chambers of the National Assembly may also use the same template of legislative engagement, to consider the proposed new minimum wage bill that may be forwarded to them by the Executive on Wednesday next week (January 23, 2019) as declared by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige last week.
If the bill gets to both chambers on the day, expeditious consideration may be given to it on Thursday (24th January, 2019) at plenary for passage for second reading and consideration at committee level during the planned four weeks suspension of plenary.
Incidentally in the Senate, Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC Katsina South), who now chairs the Senate Committee on Labour, is not contesting for any elective position in the elections.
Motion may also be moved particularly in the Senate on the ongoing ordeal being faced by Senator Dino Melaye in the hands of operatives of the Nigeria Police Force. It is most likely that charges slammed on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen by the Conduct of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) would attract attention.
Should the above scenarios eventually play out, keen watchers of the NASS believe the five days could end up being most busy days for the legislators since the inception of the 8th assembly.
Fears on exigency
Some though have expressed reservation on the strength of the argument that debate on the key issues may not enjoy thoroughness and could fall short of the kind of cerebral consideration the budget in particular could have enjoyed were it not for the exigency of the time.
Again, in view of the complaints often raised against the lawmakers such as the allegation that they are always responsible for the delay in passing the budget thereby slowdown the pace of its implementation, some wonder what quality of work would be done to midwife a budget that would be agreeable to Nigerians.
There are obviously real concerns about the quality of work the lawmakers would put into passing the budget. Will attention to detail be given prominence? Will the lawmakers allow pre-occupation with campaigns for themselves, their parties’ candidates and other distractions associated with the elections becloud their perception on the nifty-gritty of proposals as per respective capital projects?
Nonetheless, some are quick to highlight the fact that this will not be the first time lawmakers would be required to handle such sensitive piece of legislative work having done in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. Besides, some lawmakers have participated in the same act of scrutinizing the budget few weeks before crucial general elections and would therefore not be strange to the factors essential to facilitate the processes.
e lawmakers such as the allegation that they are always responsible for the delay in passing the budget thereby slowdown the pace of its implementation, some wonder what quality of work would be done to midwife a budget that would be agreeable to Nigerians.
There are obviously real concerns about the quality of work the lawmakers would put into passing the budget. Will attention to detail be given prominence? Will the lawmakers allow pre-occupation with campaigns for themselves, their parties’ candidates and other distractions associated with the elections becloud their perception on the nifty-gritty of proposals as per respective capital projects?
Nonetheless, some are quick to highlight the fact that this will not be the first time lawmakers would be required to handle such sensitive piece of legislative work having done in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. Besides, some lawmakers have participated in the same act of scrutinizing the budget few weeks before crucial general elections and would therefore not be strange to the factors essential to facilitate the processes.
