A senator representing Abia central senatorial agency, Theodore Orji on Tuesday, January 26 sought approval of additional funds in the 2016 budget for better performance from the security agencies.
Senator Theodore Orji
While deliberating the 2016 budget submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari on the floor of the senate, he said the security agents should be recognised for the manner in which the insurgency was tackled.
He said: “Security is key and there is nothing that we invest in security that is wasted and we have to do that so as to encourage our security agencies to perform maximally like they have been doing.
“The time to give them pass mark is when eventually they dislodge boko Haram from the northeast but when those chibok girls are returned that is when our security people will have 100% pass mark.”
READ ALSO: Buhari Sends Supplementary Budget To Senate
However, he stated that party affiliations must be separated while deliberating on the budget but should be considered based on the benefits of Nigerians.
He added that the budget is predicated on the price of crude oil when it was $120 per barrel but but due to circumstances has fallen to $28 per barrel which brings a constraint to the realization of the budget.
According to him, despite the drastic fall in oil price, the budget proposal cannot be realised with doggedness.
READ ALSO: Missing Budget: The Search Goes On
While supporting the federal government’s decision to borrow, he said a greater percentage of the budget will be based on borrowing.
However, he added that at heir job is to make laws and to prioritize bills that can enhance revenue generation.
He also said that bills that are obsolete should be repealed as far as revenue generation is concerned.
Sen. Orji also said that Nigerians want the budget passed quickly in order to focus on the economy, agriculture ans mineral resources that can help in diversifying the economy.
Naij.com recalls that the 2016 budget sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 22, 2015 went missing. Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had disclosed that they had two versions of the budget.
Saraki said the presidential liaison officer, Ita Enang, printed a different version from the copy laid by President Buhari on Tuesday, December 22, before a joint session of the National Assembly. The budget has since been deliberated since Wednesday, January 20
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon