The Nigerian Senate has stated disclosed its readiness to commence the January to December budget cycle as it promised to work towards ensuring that the appropriation Bills are passed within three months if President Buhari presents the document in September ending.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan made this known yesterday when he received in audience the Forum of Senators who paid him a courtesy call in his office.
Senator Lawan therefore urged the executive to cooperate with the National Assembly to ensure that the 2020 Appropriation Bill is submitted to the parliament before September ends.
Addressing members of the forum which comprises both serving and firmed senators, Lawan also called for more funding of the parliament to enable it oversight the executive.
According to Lawan, his salary as a Senator is not more than N750,000, but emphasised that more funds is required to fund his office and that of other senators adequately. Lawan also said insinuation of jumbo pay for federal lawmakers was untrue.
According to him, the 9th National Assembly in collaboration with the executive arm of government wants to get rid of yearly budget delays which affects past budget issues.
His words “In achieving this, as soon as budget proposals are received from the executive in September, this Senate will spend only three months for its consideration and passage.
“It is our determination that once the executive does its own side of the processes by presenting budget proposal in September of every year, we will ensure the passage of the budget before embarking on Christmas break in December”.
He appealed to the former senators to join in giving the true narratives to Nigerians as regards emoluments of federal lawmakers.
“Although as an important institution, monies are provided for office running, oversight functions by lawmakers etc, which are always added up by the ordinary man on the street as monthly salary of lawmakers.
“My monthly salary is N750,000 and nothing in the radius of millions”, he explained.
Earlier in her remarks, the Chairman of the Senators’ Forum , Senator Khariat Gwadabe told the President of the Senate that as former senators with institutional memory, they will always be there, to support him in leading the 9th Senate and by extension, National Assembly aright.
Meanwhile, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan offered tacit support to the call of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu for budgetary provision for State Commissioner of Police, across the 36 states of the federation.
He made his position known yesterday when the IGP paid him a courtesy visit.
Adamu said separate statutory provisions for the Commissioner of Police in each state would go a long way in enhancing the funding of the Police and guarantee effective policing.
Senator Lawan who said the nation craved for a Police Force “that is efficient in discharging its functions,” however added that the central police commanded needed organisational restructuring for optimal performance.
He said: “When our Police Affairs Committee is constituted, they will work with you. This administration will work assiduously to give you the support that you require. You need restructuring, we need to look at the command structure to make the Police give us the kind of policing that we require. We want a police force that is efficient in discharging its functions.”
He noted that with the Police Trust Fund Bill passed into law, the IGP and his team already has ample financial reserve to lessen his financial challenge.
“With Police Trust Fund, you will have enough. You are lucky to have the Police Trust Fund passed. Such resources will help us fight the kind of challenges that we face. We shall pass those bills that will give you the kind of support that you require that will make the police perform optimally.”
The courtesy visit which also has the head of Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mohammed Mustapha Abdallah and the head of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Rabiu Yadudu in the entourage briefed the President of the Senate on their joint investigation on the drug cartel that planted narcotics on two innocent Nigerians, Zainab Aliu and Ibrahim Abubakar, who were arrested in Saudi Arabia.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja