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Coronavirus: Senate Wants N10.5trn 2020 Budget Cut, Subsidy Removal, Others
The Senate, yesterday, said a downward review of the N10.5trillion Appropriation Act 2020 had become inevitable amid the sharp drop in the price of crude oil.
It, however, said the modalities to be adopted in the budget review should be agreed to by both the legislature and the executive.
This followed consideration of a report of Senate Joint Committee on Finance, Appropriations, National Planning and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) on the urgent need to monitor and examine the current economic reality caused by sharp drop in the price of crude oil, the emergence of deadly Coronavirus and the uproar within the OPEC community.
The committee, chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos) was constituted last week to interface with the relevant stakeholders in the Executive and business community with the intention of bringing out suggestions, solutions and way forward out of the present economic reality.
Lawan warned, yesterday, that following the impact of the ravaging Coronavirus on the economy, Nigeria will be in deeper trouble if as a country, we are not ingenious enough.
Against this backdrop, the Senate has summoned the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, to appear before it at plenary next week.
According to Lawan, the summon would enable the ministers and the CBN to abreast the la lawmakers with what was going on at the moment with the economy and then the senators can make suggestions, just as the apex bank boss will come up with some measures that are intended to support the economy.
According to Lawan, the system requires a holistic approach, both fiscal as well as monetary policies, just as he promised that the Senate would come up with speedy legislations that would help create an environment where the nation’s economy does not collapse.
Lawan has also urged the Executive to as a matter of urgency, forward to the Senate the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for quick consideration and passage.
Lawan said: “I think we are in a very challenging period but every challenge normally presents some opportunities. I think like Senator Odebiyi asserted that we should take our opportunities.
“The PIB we had expected by now would have been in the National Assembly but it is not. We had thought we would be able to pass the PIB within this year so that we are able to make our petroleum industry to have the legal framework that investors would find attractive to be here. But we are still expecting that the executive would work faster and harder to present the PIB to the National Assembly in the shortest possible time.
“But before then, now that we know that it is difficult or even impossible to get the foreign loans that we had built our hopes and implementation of our capital budgets on, I think we have to be very ingenious as a country. We have to look inwards.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria has come up with some measures that are intended to support the economy. I think it requires a holistic approach, both fiscal as well as monetary policies and if need be we pass a speedy legislations to create an environment where our economy does not collapse; that our economy is sustained with internal resources.
“But we have to be very careful. If we have to now borrow as a government from the domestic available resources, we should be very careful that we do not crowd out the private sector from getting required loans. So, it is going to be walking a tight rope. But we need to have a plan in which both the executive and the legislature come together.
“We need to listen to them really. I would probably suggest that going forward, in the next one or two weeks that the entire Senate to have a briefing from the Ministries of Finance, Petroleum and the Central Bank so that we are abreast with what is going on and then we can make our suggestions.
“But meanwhile, our Joint Committee continues to engage them, but this is a very tough time and it is a time that we should not suffer only but we should also benefit from this tough time.
“We need to understand what the CBN is talking about. I saw about seven or eight measures that the CBN has come up with to support local investments. We need to engage them and find out whether that is good enough or we can do better because the truth is, every country now will be trying to stay alive.
“So, probably there may not be anything to spare for any other country and if we are not ingenious enough, I think we will be in a deeper trouble. But Nigeria is a very resilient country so we should come together with the executive arm of government and work out a way out of this mess and probably come up with more serious agenda for diversification.”
Citing the committee’s findings, the lawmaker said the effects of the sharp drop in the crude oil price would be felt from May, June and July.
The report therefore recommended that, “Downsizing the Appropriation Act 2020 as passed by the National Assembly is inevitable, but the modalities to be adopted in the review of the budget shall be as agreed to between the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the joint committee of the Senate.”
The report also said the revenue-generating agencies must be alive to their responsibility in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act passed by the National Assembly and other relevant laws of the National Assembly.
Adeola said the committee, at its inaugural meeting with the Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, discussed issues bordering on the current Appropriation Act 2020; cost of production of a barrel of crude oil; loss of revenue as a result of gas flaring which runs into several billions of dollars; devaluation of Naira; removal of oil subsidy.
He said, “The Joint Committee looked at the issues discussed from two angles; the short and long term solution.
“The short term solution is to address the sharp drop in the crude oil price which is creating difficulties in funding the 2020 Appropriation Act as passed by the National Assembly.
“The long term solution discussed is the need to consider and pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which is yet to be laid before the National Assembly. This will address the issue of cost of production and Gas flaring where the country’s resources are going down the drain and other issues that might affect the petroleum sector.”
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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