The Senate said on Thursday that it would devote three days next week to consider and pass the 2014 budget.
It also referred the screening of the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff and service chiefs to its committees on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force.
The consideration of President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for the confirmation of Col. Umaru Ahmed (retd ) as a member of the governing board of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission was also shifted till next week. The task will be carried out by the Senate Committee on Works.
The committees are to submit their reports within one week.
Senate President, David Mark, who read a letter from the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma – Egba, said the debate on the N4.6 trn 2014 budget would begin on Tueday and end on Thursday.
Mark therefore urged senators to prepare for an exhaustive debate that would lead to the timely consideration and passage of the budget.
He said a register had been opened for senators who wished to contribute during the three-day debate.
Mark recalled that Jonathan had through the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, presented a budget estimate of N4.6 trn to the National Assembly shortly before it went on Chistmas and New Year break.
The Senate asked its Committees on Defence, Army, Airforce and Navy to work with its counterpart in the House of Representatives in screening the CDS and the new service chiefs.
The CDS is Air Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Adesola Amosun.
Attempts made by Senator Kabiru Gaya to reject the appointments of the service chiefs were unsuccessful.
Gaya,who raised a point of order under Order 53 of the Senate Standing Rule, had argued that Jonathan violated the 1999 Constitution by appointing and giving portfolios to the service chiefs before submitting their names to the National Assembly for confirmation.
He said the President ought to have nominated and submitted their names for approval before assigning offices to them.
Source: Punch Newspapers
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