THE Senate is set to resume deliberations on the passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) on resumption, on Tuesday, a development that has automatically pushed the deliberations on the 2017 Budget to next week, sources in the Senate have said.
Insights into the notice paper of the Senate, which will guide deliberations this week, also indicated that the senators would debate a motion on the ban on importation of cars through land borders.
It was learnt that the senators might take a resolution seeking a reversal of the policy, in view of the several vehicles reported to be trapped at the borders.
It was also learnt that the lawmakers would also discuss the lingering crisis rocking Southern Kaduna, which broke out in August 2016, and had refused to simmer despite outcries from the residents.
The Senate, according to the Notice Paper, would also deliberate on the poor state of the nation’s aviation sector and the poor services being rendered both locally and on international flights.
A source in the Senate said the lawmakers were aggrieved by reports that an airline mismanaged a luggage belonging to the former African Footballer of the Year, Peire Eric Aubameyang, who was forced to appear in another attire at the Glo CAF Awards, last week.
“The Senate will, according to details obtained in the Notice Paper, also deliberate on the poor state of the National Stadium Lagos and the lack of landing equipment at the nation’s airports, as part of its motions,” the source noted.
It was confirmed that the decision to shift the debate on Budget 2017 to next week was informed by the need to first deal with the MTEF and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSS), which must first be passed into law before the lawmakers can deliberate on the budget.
The lawmakers will also deliberate on the ban on ‘Tokunbo’ cars through land borders, as announced by the Federal Government late last year.
“The 2017 budget cannot be deliberated upon until after the passage of MTEF and the FSP in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007,” a source said, adding that the Senate could only actualise the passage of the MTEF/FSP during the week, while the debate on the general principles of the 2017 Budget (second reading) will commence next week,” the lawmakers said.