THE GUARDIAN
The planned final consideration and passage of N22.7 trillion Ways and Means restructuring request suffered another setback, yesterday.
President Muhammadu Buhari had, in December 2022, forwarded the request to the Senate and House of Representatives for expeditious consideration.
The Senate, however, adjourned to February 28 without its passage.
The inability of the chamber to pass the request could put the country at risk of incurring additional N1.8 trillion debt as Buhari warned three weeks earlier, when he assented to the N21.83 trillion 2023 budget.
The request was neither listed on the order paper used for plenary, yesterday, nor mentioned by the Senate Leader, who is the chairman of the special committee set up for that purpose.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had on Tuesday, last week, declared that the chamber was ready to approve the request, provided required details of spendings were made available by Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, and Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
He said but for restructuring of N22.7 trillion Ways and Means request, the Senate, and by extension, the House of Representatives, would have adjourned plenary on Thursday, last week, till after the Presidential and National Assembly election.
“We must have necessary information for passage of the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means restructuring request, as time is not on our side in the Senate now, in view of coming general elections.
“If there was need for the Senate to sit up till Friday (last week) for thorough consideration and passage of the request, it would have been done. But the affected officials from the executive must also expedite action on provision of required information, as regards documents authorising approval and disbursement of the money totalling N22.7trillion,” he had said.
