The Gavel: Highlights Of Events That Unfolded In The Nigerian Parliament Pt 1

Senators rejecting the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow the sum of 29.9 billion dollars to execute key infrastructural projects across the country.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are yet to consider the president’s request. But clearly some lawmakers have concerns about the loan.

Rep. Johnson Agbonayinma, (PDP, Edo State) said, “I do not support the action of borrowing because this money is within some cabals and the multi- national companies. That is why I am supporting mister president’s effort on the war against corruption. Our money is in few hands in the cabal’s hands”

For Rep Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, (Pdp, Abia State) “our concern is that if we borrow this money and inject it into Nigeria’s economy, what effect it is going to have on the size of our economy. What effect is it going to have on the GDP? We understand that Nigeria must create 20 million jobs in the next year for instance. If we were to borrow this monies what is the expected outcome? How many jobs are we expected? And you know they say they’re putting it after infrastructure. But you know infrastructure must retied into productivity. The TINAPA project for instance was a huge infrastructural project but what effect has the TINAPA project had on the economy of Nigeria?”

Some lawmakers say, despite the good intentions of the president, they have reservations about his team.

Rep. Animu Suleiman, (APC, Kano State), “ like I told you, the problem we are having, totality of Nigerians across party lines believe in the integrity and good intentions of the president. But truly speaking I cannot vouch for other people around mister president.

So will the president’s request suffer the same fate in the House of Representatives as it did in the senate? Rep. Animu Suleiman, (APC, Kano State), puts it this way. “Not suffer the same fate of the senate but we will proceed to ask for details. We will ask that we require definite positions and intended allocations”.

For his colleague, Rep. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, (PDP, Abia State), “If between now and tomorrow whenever it comes to the floor of the house we are furnished with this information, we may look a bit more kindly at it. But for as long as the information available is what the information is then we may ask the same questions that the senate has asked. If that equates to suffering the same fate then it would you know be in the interest of Nigerians and we would have acted in the most patriotic way.”

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