President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, expressed disappointment over the failure of the Senate Committee on Appropriation Bill to submit its report on the N895.84 billion supplementary budget for the 2021 fiscal year which passed second reading last week.
Shortly after the Bill passed the second reading, Senator Lawan subsequently mandated the Senate Committee on Appropriation led by Senator Jibril Barau to look at the Supplementary Budget and submit its report this week.
The president of the Senate equally dropped the hint that the Budget when submitted by the Committee on Appropriation, would be considered and passed the same day.
The presentation of the report was listed on the Order Paper, on Tuesday.
Senator Barau at plenary, however, pleaded for a week extension as he declared that his Committee needed more time.
He said:” We were given the mandate to submit the report today.
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“I want to inform this Distinguished Senate that we started work on the bill. We discovered that we needed more time because we feel we must meet the minimum standard set out by the rules of this Senate in processing the bill.
“The expected time we feel we will be able to do this is this week and then get our report submitted on Tuesday next week.
“I appeal that this Distinguished Senate permit us to submit our report on Tuesday next.
Senator Lawan, however, rejected the Committee Chairman request and insisted that the report be submitted, on Wednesday.
He said: “Chairman, you will not have more than today.
“This is a very straightforward Supplementary Budget request. So it doesn’t need two weeks to work on it.
“And you remember, we have a line up of so many important bills to consider in this Senate.
“So you have today, you lay tomorrow, we receive tomorrow. Please. Because I’m sure you had the entire weekend from Wednesday, almost six days. That should be enough. There are just two sectors
“It is not a complicated thing. So you don’t need up to Tuesday next week.
“So you submit tomorrow please.”
Appropriation Bill: Senate President overrules Committee Chairman request for extension
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