President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate to request that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) for 2023-2025 be considered.
During Tuesday’s plenary session of the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, read President Buhari’s letter.
After weeks of vacation, lawmakers reconvened in a makeshift chamber while the main Senate chamber is being renovated.
The President’s letter also included four other requests, including approval for the establishment of a N375 billion promissory note programme.
According to President Buhari, this is to settle outstanding claims to various exporters from 2007 to 2020 in respect of the export expansion ground scheme.
He also requested the lawmakers to confirm the appointment of Mr Mohammad Sabo as the Executive Commissioner (Finance and Account) for the Board of Petroleum Upstream.
Similarly, the President sought approval for the issuance of a promissory note of N6.2 billion for Kebbi and Taraba states, for the construction and rehabilitation of federal roads.
He asked the Senate to approve the issuance of another promissory note of N18.6 billion to Yobe State for the construction of federal roads.
After the Senate President was done reading the letter, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, submitted a petition on behalf of one Augustine Ogedengbe, over the non-payment of presidential amnesty programme allowances and the removal of slots allocated to his constituent’s camp way back in 2010.
The petition was laid and referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition, to report back within four weeks.
Senator Ayo Akinyelure also submitted four petitions from the Office of the President of the Senate, including that of Dr Emmanuel Attah and four others on behalf of the Federal Commissioners of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) against the CCB Chairman, Mohammed Isa, over alleged ”mal-administration, non-functionality, corruption, and collapse of law and order” in the bureau.
Another petition was from a lawyer, Chukwuemeka Onwuemmene, on behalf of one Lieutenant Michael Umakor against the Chief of Naval Staff, requesting the release of Umakor who was said to have been in detention since July 31, 2021, after serving a jail term.
The third petition was from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Yunus Usman, on behalf of one Commodore Uche also against the naval chief, seeking the “reconstruction of erroneous retirement from service and decoration of his new rank of rear admiral”.
The last petition by Senator Akinyelure was from another lawyer, K. Peter on behalf of Omire and Associates against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), demanding redress of “the gross injustice meted on our client and service company [Omire and Associate] in respect of contracts REF: NGO1001316(A28) and NGO1003128(A28)”.
The petitions were also laid and referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions to report back within four weeks.