Fuel Subsidy: Senate Passes N162bn Supplementary Budget
Amidst mixed feelings amongst some of its members, Senate Thursday
passed into an Act the request by President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday for an
additional N161, 617,364,911 as fuel subsidy payment in the 2012 budget
framework.
The approval came from the upper chamber after the second reading
of the bill for an Act to authorise the issue of appropriation of the request
from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation to provide for the
supplementary payment of fuel subsidy.
The Senate eventually passed it in view of its emergency nature,
as observed by Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi.
In their contributions, Ningi, and Senators Ganiyu Solomon, who is
a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Ahmed Lawan and Gbenga Kaka,
said they were constrained to support President Jonathan’s request for the
additional money which they said would be used to offset the fuel subsidy
payment.
They added, that they were in support of the bill because they did
not want majority of Nigerians to suffer the usual untold hardship during the
yuletide.
The lawmakers, however, queried the authenticity of the report of
the forensic audit purportedly carried out by the Federal Government. They
suggested that the report of the Senate’s investigation into the fuel subsidy
regime be made available to the public and be implemented without delay.
Summing up the contributions of the various lawmakers, Senate
President, David Mark, called on the executive arm to either stamp out
corruption in the oil industry or stop fuel subsidy.
The Senate President also noted that Jonathan’s request for the
supplementary budget was approved by the upper chamber in the overall interest
of Nigerians.
President Jonathan’s re-quest for a supplementary appropriation to
the tune of N161, 617,364,911 billion passed the second reading
stage yesterday at the House of Representatives.
It was subsequently referred to the Joint Committees on
Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream); Finance and Appropriation for
further legislative work.
The President had asked the National Assembly to approve the
extra budget to enable the government have funds to settle arrears
of fuel subsidy claims owed oil marketers and maintain a
steady flow of petroleum products, especially in the run-up to the
yuletide nseason
SOURCE: THISDAY
