Approval of virement request of N135.6billion in the 2017 budget as well as passage of three petroleum industry-related bills are expected to top agenda as the Senate resumes on Tuesday.
The three bills, which have scaled through Second Reading include the Petroleum Host Community Bill, Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill and Petroleum Industry Administration Bill.
The legislative body embarked on annual recess on July 27, 2017.
Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged the National Assembly to show leadership amid growing tension in some parts of the country.
In a text message to BusinessDay, he said: “They (National Assembly) should focus on how to take Nigeria back from the obvious precipice she is in. Nigeria is in dire doldrums, implosively inclined. The National Assembly should show leadership, give direction, inspire a beleaguered nation and give hope to hopeless and hapless Nigerians gasping for breath of life”.
Also expected to top legislative business upon resumption of the upper legislative chamber is the passage of outstanding high priority economic recovery bills.
So far, the Senate has passed nine of 13 economic bills. Those passed include: Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill, National Inland Waterways Authority Bill, Federal Roads Bill, Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Bill, Nigerian Postal Commission Bill, Nigerian Railway Authority Bill, Secured Transactions in Moveable Assets Bill and Independent Warehouse Regulatory Bill.
Those yet to be passed include National Transport Commission Bill, National Development Bank Bill, National Road Funds Bill as well as Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) (Amendment) and Investment and Investment and Securities Act (Amendment) Bill.
Nigeria stands to gain 7.5million jobs and reduction of poverty by 16.4percent if all the 13 high priority economic recovery bills are passed by the National Assembly and signed into law.
Experts say the high priority bills would also improve the country’s ranking in the Ease of Doing Business report.
Nigeria ranks 169 out of 189 countries in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business 2017 ranking report.
Jude Ohanele, Programme Director, Development Dynamics, canvassed for early submission of the 2018 budget proposal to avoid the repeat of failures of previous budgets.
“As they resume next week Tuesday, I expect that their priority will include immediately looking at the 2017 budget that is about to fail to see how they can push for the budget to be better implemented. I also expect them to demand that the Executive send in the 2018 budget as fast as possible and preferably before the end of September so that the budget can be passed and signed into law before the 31st of December. That is the only way we can have budgets that can work for our people.
“The number one job of the National Assembly is to make budget in collaboration with the Executive arm government and ensure that those budgets are clinically passed and implemented.
“And all the agitation you are seeing across the country is driven by hunger and poverty, which are the real indices of budget. In any system where their budgets are failing, then people are going to go more into poverty and hunger. And with poverty and hunger, they begin to vent their annoyance on one another and that is what we are seeing across the country, as there are ongoing violence and escalation of tension all over the place. And the most sustainable way to address it is to address the budget. Anything other thing they are doing is ad-hoc,” Ohanele told BusinessDay in a telephone interview.
On his part, an Abuja-based analyst, Taiye Odewale, pointed out that the upper legislative chamber would immediately address the rising separatist agitations in some parts of the country, following clashes between the Nigerian Army and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Abia State as well as proscription and declaration of the group as a terrorist group.
Odewale listed other items to top agenda to include the 2017 virement request, petroleum Industry-related bills, conclusion of constitution amendment exercise and high priority economic bills.
“Their focus should be on this IPOB issue. Although Senate President and Chief Whip of the House of Representatives and some other legislators of both chambers had commented on the matter, as a chamber the Senate will want to comment on it; that will be their first priority on Tuesday.
“Others like the 2017 virement request, petroleum related bills, conclusion of constitution amendment and other economic bills will take centre stage”.
In the same vein, the Senate is expected to pass the Demutualization of the Nigerian Stock Exchange Bill and revisit the devolution of powers bill, which suffered a devastating defeat in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Senate President Bukola Saraki had assured that despite its rejection, the National Assembly would revisit the devolution of powers when it resumes from recess.
Speaking on the 2017 budget virement request, a political economist, Blessing Ageh, expressed the hope that its approval will improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
“Kwowing that the virement request affects 15 ministries and agencies, I call on the National Assembly to urgently consider the virement proposal in order to improve the well-being of Nigerian citizens.
“The singular pre-occupation of government is the search for solution to the current economic hardship and the commitment to ease their burden. I hope the Eighth National Assembly will keep its promise of easing the economic hardship in the land through effective laws.
“I must also admit that Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of the country from economic recession. With time, the impact will trickle down,” she said.
The Senate is also expected to give accelerated passage to Hate Speech Bill and anti-Jungle Justice Bill, which will mitigate against verbal attacks against individuals and also help to curtail, protect and prohibit Nigerians across the country from meting out extra-judicial justice to perceived offenders without recourse to statutory legal channels.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
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