The passage of the 2017 Budget and the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, will top the agenda as the Senate resumes sitting tomorrow (Tuesday).
The Senate is also expected to receive the final report of its Ad-hoc Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, which indicted the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) David Babachir Lawal in a grass cutting scandal of over N200 million.
Recall that before the legislative body embarked on Easter break, it received the report of the Joint Committees on Petroleum Upstream, Petroleum Downstream, and Gas on the PIGB.
The report which was presented by Tayo Alasoadura, chairman of the joint committees, will be considered upon resumption from the break.
The PIGB is one of the 11 economic reform bills currently before the Senate, which it promised would be passed alongside the 2017 budget.
Others are the National Development Bank of Nigeria Bill, National Road Fund Act (Amendment) Bill, Federal Roads Authority Act (Amendment) Bill, and National Transport Commission (Establishment) Bill.
Others include the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Act (Amendment) Bill; Warehouse Receipts Act (Amendment) Bill; Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) (Amendment) Bill; Investment and Securities Act (ISA); Customs and Excise Management Act; Federal Competition Bill.
Experts say the 11 priority economic reform bills if passed into law, will help create 7.5 million jobs and reduce poverty by 16.4 percent.
The Senate has passed the National Transport Commission Bill and forwarded to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
In an exclusive interview with BusinessDay, Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan assured that the National Assembly would pass this year’s budget before the end of this month.
Technically, this implies that the legislative body has between April 25 and 27 – being Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and the only three legislative days in a week – when the budget can be passed.
Lawan disclosed that the Appropriation Committees of both chambers of the National Assembly have intensified efforts to compile reports from various sub-committees, as well as seek clarification from them where necessary.
The lawmaker assured that the National Assembly would fast-track the passage of the 2017 Appropriation Bill before the 2016 Appropriation Act elapsed on the 5th May 2017.
While pledging the National Assembly’s support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the Senate Leader assured on the passage of critical bills before both chambers, including the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, as well as rallied support for the implementation of the recently launched Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
“We have finished with the National Transportation Bill and it is in the House for concurrence. The Petroleum Industry Governance Bill has been laid and we will consider the report when we come back from the Easter recess, by the grace of God.
“The Senate and indeed the National Assembly are focused on ensuring that we support Mr. President in his economic transformation of Nigeria. You recall that the President launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, it is our desire and commitment and expectation that we will not only support the ERGP through legislative intervention but also continue to support him as individuals or as an institution.
“We are supposed to propagate and give maximum support for the President to succeed in the recovering the economy,” he affirmed.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE
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