Senate commences work on 2020 budget, approves Adewolu as NCC commissioner

The Senate has begun debate on the general principles of the 2020 Appropriation Bill of N10.33tr. Of the total amount, N556.7b is for statutory transfer, while debt servicing gets N2.7tr.

Contributing, Gabriel Suswam (PDP: Benue) noted that the budget was very ambitious as it intends to address the infrastructure deficit.

He said that the economy had contracted to a level that the upper legislative chamber needed to critically address some very “germane and pregnant issues.”

The former governor explained that most of the small business enterprises would be unable to address the issue of the increased 7.5 per cent value-added tax (VAT).

On sectoral allocations, Suswam said that the funds for education and health were inadequate.

Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Jibril Barau (APC: Kano), expressed satisfaction at the N262b vote for works and housing, stating that the decision had shown that the Federal Government was serious about providing the necessary infrastructure to drive and sustain the economy.

He added that President Muhammadu Buhari administration was serious to actualise its long-term objective of diversifying the economy.

Ike Ekweremadu (PDP: Enugu) lauded the emphasis on road sector development and the marginal increase in the allocation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

He urged that the revenue drive for the implementation of the budget should not be at the expense of ordinary Nigerians, stressing the need to plug leakages.

Ekweremadu called for more interest in mineral sector development.

Senate Minority Leader, Eyinnaya Abaribe, described the document as a “budget of taxation” following the increased VAT.

In his remarks, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said the debate would continue today.

Besides, the red chamber has confirmed Adeleke Adewolu as an Executive Commissioner of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) amid an uproar from a section of the legislators.

Some South-East senators had yesterday raised objections to the confirmation, drawing the Senate’s attention to the absence of a representative from the region on the NCC board.

This comes as the chamber considered and adopted the report of the Oluremi Tinubu-led Committee on Communications at plenary.

Francis Onyewuchi (Imo East), citing Section 14 (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as commended), had called for the report to be stood down pending when there was a nomination to fill the slot of the South-East geopolitical zone.

Senators Uche Ekwunife and Rochas Okorocha spoke in the same vein.

The presiding officer, Lawan, consequently directed the panel to review the list of NCC’s executive commissioners with a view to addressing the alleged marginalisation.