Assembly will resume today to be confronted by a mountain of issues
awaiting deliberation.
Among the issues are: the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, N1.7trillion
oil subsidy controversy, N700 billion pension scam, 2013 budget, which
may be presented today, controversies trailing poor implementation of
the 2012 budget for which the House of Representatives threatened to
commence impeachment moves against President Goodluck Jonathan unless
he has ensured 100 per cent implementation of the budget.
A Federal High Court sitting Abuja, Friday, declined to stop the House
of Representatives from commencing impeachment proceedings against
President Jonathan over poor implementation of the budget.
Senators will also be confronted with screening of new ministerial
nominees for Defence and Power following the sack of the former
Minister and past Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed and the resignation of Prof.
Barth Nnaji respectively.
The lawmakers would have to take a decision on the proposed
introduction of N5,000 note and conversion of N20, N10 and N5 into
coins by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, with the support of the
executive arm of government. The Senate Committee on Banking asked the
CBN to put the policy on hold but the apex bank insisted that there
was no going back.
The matter may put the executive and legislative arms of government on
a collision course. A stormy session will be expected at the plenary
against the backdrop that some senators may be against it while some
will support, though the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking,
Insurance and other Institutions, Senator Basssey Edet Otu, PDP, Cross
River South had asked the apex bank to drop the proposal.
The legislators would also be faced with amendment of the 1999
Constitution, of which serious issues like state creation and state
police among others have been generating ripples
They are expected to take action on the $5 billion fine it ordered
Shell to pay over environmental pollution in Ogoni, Rivers State in
the Niger Delta region.
For Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, PDP, Rivers South-East, he must have used
the holiday to prepare the report of the Senate Joint Committee on
Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Appropriation and Finance that
investigated how much was spent and who collected what from the N1.7tr
oil subsidy.
The holiday may also have given Senator Aloysius Akpan Etok, PDP Akwa
Ibom North West and Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and
Public Services to put together the findings of the Senate joint
Committee that investigated the N700 billion pension fund and submit
same to the entire house.
Senator Hope Uzodinma, PDP, Imo West and Chairman, Senate Committee on
Aviation may have also used the recess to prepare reports on two
public hearings he carried out, one on tax evasion and fare disparity
by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways and the other on the
National Assembly joint committee that investigated the crash which
involved Dana and Allied Airlines aircraft in Lagos and Accra
respectively.
As the Senate resumes, there are various issues, especially the
unfinished jobs that must be done and one of such assignments, which
must be accomplished today before the 109 Senators is discussions on
the 2013 budget which President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to
present before the Senate, as well as discussions on the achievement
of the 2012 appropriation.
Security challenges with bombings in some parts of the country will
feature at both the open and closed door sessions of the Senate, just
as discussions on Petroleum Industry Bill. The Senators are also
expected to review the outcome of the Senate retreat which took place
in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
At the end of the day, reports by Senators Uzodinma, Abe, Etok and
others will be tabled before the Senators for discussions.
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