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Reps Hold Special Session To Pass 2021 Budget, Today
Barring any eventuality, a special sitting of the House of Representatives is billed to hold today, to pass the 2021 Appropriation Bill into law.
Ordinarily, Mondays are not usually plenary/legislative days for the National Assembly except for matters of extreme public importance and urgency.
The Appropriation Bill 2021, otherwise called the 2021 budget was laid before a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on October 8, this year by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The envelope size of the proposal was N13.08trillion.
The details showed that crude oil, which is the mainstay of the nation’s economy, was projected at $40bpd.
Similarly, the exchange rate of Naira to the Dollar was officially placed at N379 to $1.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was also expected to grow at three per cent while the inflation rate was placed at 11.95 per cent.
It would be recalled that the two chambers of the National Assembly suspended plenary for more than one month to attend to the proposal.
Throughout the period, various standing committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives engaged with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government who defended their financial estimates.
The acceleration given to the defence was ultimately to meet up with the January to December budget cycle which the country reverted to in 2019.
But the experiment has, however, suffered some setbacks as the National Assembly, last week, upon the request of the Executive arm expressly passed a law to extend the timeline for the implementation of capital projects in the 2020 budget.
Titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Appropriation Act, 2020 to Extend the Expiration Period of Capital Expenditure in the Act beyond December 31, 2020; and for Related Matters (HB.1194), the development has apparently altered the January to December budget cycle, and shifted the implementation of the budget to now elapse March 31, 2021.
Contacted to confirm the special session, today member representing Aboh Mbaise Ngor/Okpala Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon. Bede Eke, simply said, “yes”, stressing that the sitting will hold.
Similarly, the Spokesman of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, also said that the House was exclusively going to sit to approve the budget and then adjourn plenary for the Christmas holidays.
“Yes, to the best of my knowledge. We are reconvening just pass the budget and adjourn for the Christmas holidays”, he said.
With the passage of the Finance Bill 2020, last week, and the expectations that the Appropriation Bill will also pass, today, it is everybody’s hope that the government would embark on early and immediate implementation of the budget to help lift the economy out of the present recession,” Ani added.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.