N’Assembly Cuts Sallah Break to Consider Budget Amendment Bill

Deji Elumoye

Udora Orizu

The two chambers of the National Assembly has brought forward their resumption from the Eid-el-Fitr to attend to the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 transmitted to the National Assembly last week by the executive.

Instead of resuming from the recess on June 2 as earlier scheduled, the National Assembly will now resume tomorrow.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives members on May 19, had proceeded on a twoweek Sallah break to reconvene on Tuesday.

But a letter dated May 26, signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori, and addressed to all senators and House members stated that the lawmakers would resume plenary tomorrow to consider the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

The one-page letter read in part, ‘’This is to inform all distinguished senators and honourable members that resumption of plenary session earlier scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2020, has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 28, 2020, to enable members to consider the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

‘’All distinguished senators and honourable members are expected to resume in plenary by 10.00 am on Thursday, May 28, 2020, please.’’

But some senators and House members told THISDAY yesterday that they have not been given copies of the revised 2020 budget document.

A senator told THISDAY on condition of anonymity that “as I speak with you, no copy of the new Appropriation Bill has been given to any known senator because I spoke earlier with some of my colleagues across party lines who told me they have not seen the new budget details.”

He, however, expressed hope that the budget details will get to the offices of the lawmakers by today “for us to study ahead of the resumption of plenary on Thursday if not there won’t be any need to reconvene without the budget details with members.”