Presidency, Senate on war path over budget

The Senate and Presidency may be on war path as the upper chamber on Tuesday pushed consideration of the 2013 budget amendment to October.

The upper chamber also warned the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nogozi Okonjo-Iweala, against making unguarded comments that tends to pitch it with the Executive arm of government.

Okonjo-Iweala was reported to have warned that the country’s economy would shut down in September if the National Assembly failed to consider and approve the 2013 budget amendment.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said at a press conference in Abuja that the Senate will only consider the proposed amendment after its annual vacation.

The Senate annual vacation begins an eight-week annual vacation on August 2 and ends on September 30, according to Senate’s amended legislative calendar.

Abaribe said that Senators were at a loss when they read comments attributed to Okonjo-Iweala that the inaction of the National Assembly on the 2013 amendment budget will cripple the national economy.

Okonjo-Iweala’s comments, he said, did not go down well with the Senate.

He said that the Senate does not expect any minister or an appointee of the President to make comments which could set the Executive and the Legislature on a collision path.

He said the implication of the minister’s comment is that the two arms of government are on a collision course.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to send the 2014 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly in September.

If the 2013 amendment budget which Abaribe described as “humongous” is not considered before the end of September, it means that the National Assembly will have two sets of budgets to consider and approve.

Abaribe said, “Let me say that we were very perplexed when we read comments allegedly made by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy with respect to the budget.

“First of all, the Senate does not view the comments made kindly.

“The feeling of the Senate and indeed the National Assembly is that we do not expect ministers of the Federal Republic and appointees of Mr. President to make comments that tend to give the impression of a collision course between the Executive and the Legislature because we are all working towards the same purpose and our purpose is to make sure that we take care of the welfare of Nigerians.”