The Senate in session

The Senate Tuesday received the 2016 budget and the  damning 2014 Auditor-General of the Federation audit reports.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, presented the 2016 budget report marked “2016 Appropriation Bill, 2016 (SB.212).

The report was not debated and no date was assigned for its debate and passage into law.

Insiders however said that the budget is likely to be passed Wednesday.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Babajide Omoworare, had assured on Monday the controversial 2016 budget report would be laid yesterday.

Also Tuesday, the Senate received the annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume presented the report entitled “Accounts of the Federation of Nigeria.”

Ndume asked the Senate to “receive the Annual  Report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the accounts of the Federation of Nigeria for the year ended 31^st December, 2014 in accordance with section 85(2) and (5) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

The weighty report, submitted to the National Assembly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, indicted several ministries, departments and agencies including the National Assembly management.

The report claimed that more than N3.3 trillion was misappropriated by the MDAs and the National Assembly.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, had assured that the Senate will investigate every bit of the audit report.

He asked Nigerians to wait and see what the Senate would make out of the audit report.

Late Musa Baba Onwana: Shut the senate

“The Auditor – General is raising a query, it is not an indictment. So when he raises his queries, the essence of the Public Accounts Committee is to invite those parties involved in the query and through the instruments of their own work, investigate all the issues by seeking for clarification and at the end of the day, where they have infractions, or infringement on certain procedures, they met out appropriate sanctions as stipulated by extant rules and regulations.

“When there is a process and someone has done one part, until we conclusively finish that process, it will be wrong to accuse anyone of being guilty.

Also Tuesday the Senate received report of the conference committee on Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Owan Enoh prayed the Senate to receive the report of the conference committee on the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

The consideration and adoption of the MTEF and FSP pave the way for the passage of the Appropriation Bill.

After the receipt of the reports, the Senate adjourned plenary in honour of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Musa Baba Onwana,  Nasarawa/Toro Federal Constituency, Nasarawa State, who died last week.