The Senate warned President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday against illicit expenditure and urged him to obtain a supplemental budget for the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) programme.
The Senate, through its Gas Committee, led by Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe, requested the executive branch to provide a 2023 Supplementary Budget to the National Assembly as soon as possible to kickstart the Compressed Natural Gas project.
This appeal came just 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu outlined measures to help Nigerians cope with the loss of fuel subsidies.
The lawmakers maintained that the legislation prohibited spending outside of the budget.
The committee’s chairman who commended Tinubu for the CNG initiative, however, warned that it would be illegal to spend taxpayers’ money or the money without approval by the National Assembly, and other projects in the gas value chain.
The senators also advised against extra-budgetary expenditure through Ways and Means,’ saying the legislature was ready to support and bring succour to the people.
Jarigbe commended Tinubu on his CNG revolution to power vehicles.
He said, “The noble initiative would ameliorate the hardship of the citizens. Also, the President needs to come up with a supplementary budget to enable the government to fund the gas value chain, including the provision for CNG infrastructure and CNG vehicles.”
He also stated that the workshops and training for CNG adoption would need to be funded.
“The President should not embark on extra-budgetary expenditure because it would be inconsistent with the provisions of the law.”
Jarigbe stated that the National Assembly, under the leadership of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was poised to support the lofty programmes of Tinubu.
He said a 2023 supplementary budget would be most appropriate, instead of the ‘Ways and Means’ approach of the previous administration, which had remained a major issue of contention in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
In his Independence speech, the President explained that he would ensure that the hardship of Nigerians was alleviated.
Tinubu had said, “A Nigeria where hunger, poverty and hardship are pushed into the shadows of an ever fading past.
“We have opened a new chapter in public transportation through the deployment of cheaper, safer CNG buses across the nation. These buses will operate at a fraction of current fuel prices, positively affecting transport fares.
“New CNG conversion kits will start coming in very soon as all hands are on deck to fast track the usually lengthy procurement process.”
He said his administration was also setting up training facilities and workshops across the nation to train and provide new opportunities for transport operators and entrepreneurs.