President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for extra borrowing of
N1.6 trillion to finance the 2015 budget, on Thursday, November 19, divided the
House of Representatives. The verbal war was triggered by the President’s claim that
an additional N465.6 billion was required to fund subsidy payments,
an action
that drew disdain from PDP members who said that the APC had before the
election decried the payment of subsidies to oil marketers.
PDP members also raised concern that the funds being
requested by the President had already been spent, saying the letter was
essentially to cover the hole drilled by the President. Leading the debate on the President’s request, House
Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, had
appealed to members to approve the President’s request irrespective of party
lines to empower the government in the war against Boko Haram insurgency and to
enable it settle petroleum marketers as the country was facing fuel scarcity that
was biting hard on Nigerians.
His assertion was supported by among others, Mohammed
Monguno, APC, Monguno/Marte/Nganzai, Borno State; Zakari Mohammed, APC
Baruten/Kaima, Kwara State and Mohammed Kazaure, APC
Kazaure/Roni/Gwiwa/Yankashi, Jigawa State.
Kazuare had added that
“we need the people to support anything President Buhari brings to the House.”
The Minority Leader, Rep Leo Ogor, was, however, unfazed as
he pointed to a breach of parliamentary procedure in the President’s request,
arguing that the government had already spent money on All Africa Games which
had since been concluded before the request was sent to the parliament.
Besides, Ogor said he supported the money on security to
fight the insurgency in the North but picked holes with the issue of subsidy,
noting that the APC, as an opposition party, had kicked against subsidy claims
which the party said then was a fraud, wondering at which point the party
changed position.
He also queried why N413.3 billion should be paid as fuel
subsidy when the price of oil had fallen sharply as he then proposed that all
relevant House committees rigorously interrogate the President’s request.
As he spoke, Gbajiabiamila raised a Point of Order to demand
that Ogor withdraw his comment that the APC had in the past described fuel
subsidy as a fraud.
The demand turned the chamber into a rowdy stage upon the
sharp division between the APC and the PDP members, forcing Speaker Yakubu
Dogara to intervene to the fact that he was not aware of any official position
of the APC kicking against fuel subsidy. The speaker added that President Buhari had recently said
that he would not remove the subsidy.
But insisting on his position, the Minority Leader said the
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, remains the voice of the
government of the day. This did not go down well with APC members who then
shouted at him to sit down, an action that also spurred the PDP members to urge
him on. Speaker Dogara again intervened and compelled Ogor to take his seat.
Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, PDP, Isiukwuato/Umunneochi, Abia State,
said the budget of 2015 had not been implemented up to 30 per cent, saying:
“If we pass this supplementary budget, are they (APC) going to implement it? It is not about APC or PDP.”
The Minority Whip, Yakubu Badeh, on his part said the House
was in support of anything that would remove suffering on Nigerians and that
the PDP was in support of the subsidy in as much as it would impact positively
on the common man. He also said that the House should monitor how the subsidy
money was spent so that the people would have value for their money.
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