NASS Budget: Senators Disagree Over Committee Report

SAN FRANCISCO, August 12, (THEWILL) – The Senate Wednesday stood down a report by its ad hoc committee on the Review of the National Assembly Finances, after an hour-long deliberation behind closed doors. The report has been slated for further consideration.

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who made the disclosure after the session said, “The senate in a closed door session deliberated on the report of its committee on finance and approved that it should be stood down for further consideration.''

Saraki had on June 25, 2015, constituted the ad hoc committee on finance to review salaries, allowances and overhead cost of running the National Assembly.

The committee was constituted to realign the finance of lawmakers to reflect the present economic realities in the country.

In another development, the Senate Wednesday confirmed Mr. Abdullahi Kaugama as Resident Electoral Commissioner for Jigawa in accordance with Section 143 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

At Wednesday's plenary, six bills, including National Development Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill 2015, and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Repeal and re-enactment) Bill 2015, scaled first reading.

Others are Nigerian Agricultural Processing Zones (Establishment) Bill 2015, Labour transportation Bill (2015), Erosion Control and Prevention Commission (Establishment) Bill 2015 and National commission for ecological Problems (Establishment) Bill 2015.

The Senate also received reports of its ad hoc committee on Legislative Agenda for the Senate and ad hoc committee on Local and Foreign Debts on the Edo State Credit Facility of N75 million from the World Bank.