Reps: APC, PDP Lawmakers Shun Partisan Politics To Support N467bn Supplementary Budget

BEVERLY HILLS, November 19, (THEWILL) – Members of the opposition parties and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives on Thursday shunned partisan politics with overwhelming support for the N467 billion supplementary appropriation bill.

Despite the initial opposition against President Muhammadu Buhari’s request, the bill scaled through second reading without a dissenting voice after which it was referred to the joint committees on Appropriation and Finance for further legislative input.

Leo Ogor, minority leader, and Nkiruka Onyejeocha, chairman, House Committee on Aviation, had earlier kicked against the request made by Femi Gbajabiamila, majority leader to pass the supplementary budget bill through second reading.

Ogor alleged that President Buhari had expressed opposition against the continuation of the fuel subsidy, hence saw no justification to include the N413,363,134,505 for subsidy payment in the supplementary budget proposal.

He also criticised the present administration for failing to end the lingering insecurity and the need to spend additional N29,958,865,512 proposed for Operation Zaman Lafiya, the sum of N17,468,992,640 was for Nigerian Army while N8,141,434,760 was for Nigerian Air Force.

On her part, Onyejeocha argued that there was no reason to pass the supplementary budget barely six weeks to the end of the year.

She specifically expressed pessimism on the ability of Buhari’s administration to appropriately implement the budget like previous administrations.

In a swift response to the allegation raised by the minority leader, the speaker, Yakubu Dogara and Gbajabiamila, warned the opposition members not to engage in propaganda, just as they argued that Mr. President at no time canvassed for the removal of fuel subsidy.

Dogara, who challenged any lawmakers with contrary opinion to justify their claims, noted that Buhari had often times expressed reservation to any policy that would impact negatively on the citizenry.

He however stressed the need for the conduct of a thorough study on whether the subsidy trickle down to the common man, otherwise the need to discontinue the subsidy policy on petroleum products.