What could have resulted in a no confidence vote against President Muhammadu Buhari was averted by Senate President Bukola Saraki at plenary last week.
Trouble started after the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi State), moved a motion calling for investigation into the clash among operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over operational issues.
The lawmaker, who took a swipe at the President for failing to call his aides to order, described the development as a national embarrassment.
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Melaye, whose controversial recall moves by his constituents have been put on hold due to a pending court case, has played the role of a main opposition leader in the upper legislative chamber, despite being in the ruling party.
He therefore called for Senate’s intervention on the matter by carrying out what he called ‘corrective measures’. He stressed that Nigeria was not a banana republic and as such, the rule of law must be respected by all. “We cannot allow Nigeria to be ridiculed on a daily basis by those who are supposed to defend our integrity”.
Seconding the motion, Deputy Minority Whip, Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti State) said the development is an indictment on the President. The situation, she lamented, portends danger for the nation’s democracy.
She passed a vote of no confidence in the Buhari administration, insisting that: “This is the first time we are witnessing gross irresponsibility in government. We never thought a day like this would come. But we saw it coming because right now, we have a situation whereby nobody is in charge of anything”.
In other to break her flow of thoughts, Saraki who controlled the central microphones of lawmakers in the hallowed chamber, deliberately put off her microphone during her submission. But her colleagues kept encouraging her to ‘fire on’, even as others raised their hands seeking the Presiding Officers’ permission to speak.
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Sensing danger, the Senate President called on Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe State) who recently endorsed the President for second term, to douse the tension. In his submission, Lawan took exception to Olujimi’s comments that nobody is in control of government. He called for calm, assuring that the matter would be investigated.
In his remarks, Saraki urged lawmakers to remain calm and allow the relevant committee to look into the matter. He therefore, set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the issue, giving it a two-week timeframe to submit its report. Members of the ad-hoc committee include: Senators Francis Alimikhena (Chairman), Shaaba Lafiagi, Chukwuka Utazi, Abdul-aziz Nyako, Ajayi Boroffice, Fatimat Raji-Rasaki, Shehu Sani and Melaye.
My first observation is that the committee membership ought to have been an odd number as against even number. This is to ensure that it is able to arrive at decisions during meetings without the challenge of a stalemate.
Secondly, the shoddy handling of the ad-hoc committee investigating the allegations against the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, is still fresh in our memory. That panel is chaired by the same Alimikhena who is yet to submit his committee’s report. I won’t be surprised if this new ad-hoc committee adopts the Emmanuel Paulker option by conducting its investigative hearings in camera.
In my November 10 column titled: ‘Lobbying lawmakers to pass 2018 Budget by December 31’, I argued that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle, than for the 2018 Budget to be passed this year. I cited the inability of the National Assembly to approve the 2018 to 2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), $5.5 foreign loan, N135.64 billion virement and approval of 2017 statutory budgets of federal agencies.
Well, since then only the $5.5 billion external loan has been approved.
Inability to have a harmonised report with the House of Representatives forced the Senate to defer consideration of the revised 2018 to 2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) to this week.
The development may stall the Second Reading of the N8.612 trillion 2018 budget which was initially shifted to this week. Senate President Bukola Saraki had said the postponement was to allow for passage of MTEF, in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
The implication of the postponement of MTEF/FSP consideration is that if the Committee recommends different key assumptions from those of the Executive, this may set the stage for yet another budget crisis, as President Buhari had already presented the 2018 budget to the National Assembly using key assumptions in the revised MTEF/FSP.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
