Senate resumes after poll, Buhari’s loan request delayed

The Senate on Wednesday failed to consider and pass the N22.7tn Ways and Means restructuring request forwarded to it and the House of Representatives by the President, Major General, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Buhari had sent in the request sometime in December, 2022, for expeditious consideration.

The PUNCH observed that consideration for it was neither listed on the order paper used for plenary both on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Also, it was not mentioned by the Senate Leader, Abdullahi Gobir,   who is also the chairman of the special committee set up for that purpose.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had last Tuesday, declared the Senate was ready to approve the request,  provided the required details of the spending were made available by the executive.

The River West Senator, Betty Apiafi, on Wednesday said the approval would not be granted until the details were made available.

She said, “We did not discuss the Ways and Means because the relevant documents from the Ministry of Finance and CBN have not been submitted.  We need to know what the money was used for, who requested, who approved and who disbursed and to whom.”

Meanwhile, the Senate after considering several reports of it committee on TETFUND seeking for the establishment of tertiary institutions as well as the report of the committee on health on the legal framework to establish the Federal Medical Centre Okigwe in Imo State, adjourned plenary till February, 28, 2023.

This means the red chamber will not resume until after the presidential election.

The Senate leader, Gobir moved that the plenary be adjourned till another legislative day which was seconded by Senator Isa Lau.

The Senate president then pronounced that the plenaryadjourned to Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

SOURCE: PUNCH

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