THE GUARDIAN
The Godswill Akpabio-led 10th Senate recorded its first rowdy session yesterday, after the Senate President’s rejection of a motion to debate alleged uneven distribution of N500 billion credit facilities to Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN).
Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), had upon commencement of plenary, drawn attention of the Upper Chamber to a motion he sponsored on the same issue of imbalance in the distribution of the loan last year, adding that the outcome of that motion was not concluded before the dissolution of the ninth Senate.
He sought the permission of the Senate President to move the motion for debate afresh. But before Akpabio could utter a word, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun) rose in disagreement to Ndume’s position that the last Senate had not concluded the matter.
Adeola argued that from his discussion with the chairman of the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the matter, a report was done on the motion and was sent to the Presidency for implementation.
Infuriated by Adeola’s submissions, Senator Aliu Ahmed Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa), rose angrily shouting Point of Order! Point of Order!!
When recognised, Wadada said he is seriously opposed to the imbalance experienced in the distribution of the money, adding that his senatorial district, his state and the entire North were grossly cheated.
Wadada became more furious when the Senate President attempted to rule him out of order on the grounds of citing improper order.
At the point of ruling on the matter, Ndume again rose and insisted that it was morally wrong that the whole North was given only 11 per cent, while only Lagos State got 47 per cent of the loan. He added that his state, Borno, got just one per cent.
Ndume also said that he didn’t see the report, adding that some lawmakers were ambushed to sign the report.
He said: “The former Senate President insisted that I should be a member of the committee because I was the mover of the motion. However, I was not always around whenever they called the meeting. I don’t want to believe that it was deliberate. I swear by God, I have not seen a copy of the report. I am a Senator, I raised the motion because my people were shortchanged. This is a serious matter. N500 billion was distributed. Other geopolitical zones got 11 per cent while my region got only one per cent.
