Deji Elumoye
embers of the National Assembly last week deliberated on a number of bills and motions including requests by President Muhammadu Buhari for Senate to approve nominations of two women – Ronke Sokefun and Abike Dabiri-Erewa – as chairs of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC and Nigeria Diaspora Commission, NDC, respectively.
But the high point of legislative work at the Senate was last Monday’s attack by Boko Haram insurgents on a military camp in Borno State which claimed the lives of over 40 soldiers. Senators who spoke were concerned about the killing of 44 soldiers in one fell swoop.
The lawmakers, therefore, resolved to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Monday’s killing of the soldiers. It also in adjourned plenary on Thursday in honour of the soldiers including the commandant killed by the insurgents at the 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele village, Abadam Local Government Area of the state while ordering its committees on Army and Defence to investigate the killings as well as welfare of the troops fighting the insurgents.
In the coming days, the Senate going by its resolution will visit officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces fighting Boko Haram insurgents at the battle field in the North East. The senators’ decision was sequel to a motion moved by the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, (Kebbi South) at the instance of the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki via Orders 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules. Na’Allah in moving the motion decried the plight of military personnel fighting insurgency in the North East and lamented that the murdered commandant was his cousin. He, therefore, urged the Senate to observe a minute’s silence in honour of the slain soldiers and their commandant, pay condolence visit to the Chief of Army Staff and families of the murdered soldiers and conduct a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the killings.
Contributing, Senator Andrew Uchendu, (Rivers East) added that the Senate should “shut down’’ for one whole day, rather than observing a mere one-minute silence to which the Senate concurred to.
He said: “Mr President and dear colleagues, I have no reason to doubt the figure (of the 44 killed soldiers). But if that figure is correct, then this Senate must come out and show massive concern, not just one-minute silence. We must shut down for one whole day in honour of those fallen heroes.”
Other contributors including the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, bemoaned the hazardous tasks of officers and men of the Armed Forces in fighting Boko Haram insurgency. The Senate after observing a minute silence in remembrance of the fallen gallant soldiers passed a resolution urging the federal government and military authorities to adequately equip Army formations nationwide and take proper care of the soldiers’ welfare.
Also last week, the Presidency ex- plained the delay in the presentation of the 2019 budget estimate to the National Assembly saying it was due to some outstanding budget-related bills before the Assembly.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper which are to form the basis for presenting the budget which were presented by the Executive to the National Assembly are yet to be approved by the legislature.
Enang stated: “The president has transmitted to the National Assembly, the request for the approval of the MTEF and the approval of the Fiscal Strategy Paper. It is the MTEF that set out the budget parameters for the benchmark of oil, the exchange rate, the money projected to realise from solid minerals, internal revenue from oil, and borrowings. It is this that enables you to deal with budget projections. That document is pending before the legislature.”
He added that ordinarily the budget should have been presented but the