Fresh facts emerged on how the anti Bamanga Tukur lawmakers allegedly forced president Goodluck Jonathan to again postponed the presentation of the much delayed 2014 budget to the National Assembly.shelve
The president was allegedly forced to cancel his visit to the National Assembly following alleged plot by some pro Kau Baraje lawmakers to scuttled the joint session if the embattled national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Alhaji Bamaga Tukur step his feet into the hallowed chamber.
The two sides had earlier clashed over the recent visit of> the leadership of the new PDP and the G 7 governors in the National Assembly.
Source alleged that the anti Tukur lawmakers may have> settled for a repeat of the show down with the lawmakers loyal to the former governor of old Gongola state.
According to him the shelved visit of the president to the National Assembly was to avert a possible show down between the tow sides.
Most lawmakers who had earlier granted the request of the president to present the fiscal estimate yesterday at a joint session were however stunned when the information> filtered into the National Assembly that the number one man in the land had again shelved the annual ritual.
The heavy security build up, the red carpet and other arrangement put in place earlier in the day to receive the president were quietly collapsed when signals emerged that the president will not the said visit yesterday
to the National Assembly to present the 2014 budget.
President Jonathan had earlier shifted the exercise billed for last week Tuesday following the delay in the passage of the MediumTerm Expenditure Framework (MTEF) by the House of Representatives.
But the president in a letter to the senate president senator David Mark read on the floor of the senate yesterday explained that the change was due to disagreement between the senate and House of Representatives on the proposed oil price bench mark for the budget.
While the senate approved benchmark of 76.5 dollars per barrel, the House of Representatives insists on 79 dollars per barrel of crude oil as the bench mark for the budget.
President Jonathan in a letter dated 18th November, 2013 sent to Senate, said ” please recall that I had written requesting the distinguish senate to grant me the slot of 12 noon on Tuesday, 19th November 2013 to enable me address a joint session of the National Assembly on the 2014 budget.
“However, considering the fact that, whereas the distinguish Senate has approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) based on a benchmark of 76.5 dollars per barrel, the Honorable House of Representatives has used a
benchmark of 79 dollars per barrel, it is infeasible for me to present for me to present the budget in the absence of a harmonized position of the MTEF.
“In the circumstances, it has become necessary to defer the presentation of the 2014 to a joint session of the National Assembly until such a time when both respected chambers would have harmonized their position on the MTEF. It is my hope that this will be in the shortest possible time”. The
president did not propose any date for the presentation of the fiscal estimate to the lawmakers.
In his reaction to botched budget presentation, Senator Babajide Omoworare blamed the executive for the problem arguing that the budget belongs to the parliament not executive added that the lawmakers should not be rubber
stamp.
He recalled that 79 dollars was proposed last year and there has never been a time which a barrel of crude is sold less than 100 dollars per barrel there by calling for the reduction of the excess crude account because it brings corruption.
Also, senator Ayo Akinyelure who is a member of Finance committee said the position that will be taken by the National Assembly will be in the interest of Nigerians lamenting that the excess crude account is not.
He expressed dissatisfaction with decline in the production of crude oil which affect the country’s revenue urging executive to stood their ground in order to prevent the oil theft.