Senate Suspends Buhari’s Request To Approve Unapproved N23.7trn Spending

The Senate has Buhari’s request to approve unapproved N23.7 trillion spending.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Nigerian Senate has suspended a request by President Muhammadu Buhari to approve N23.7 trillion spent without the approval of the National Assembly.

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This news medium had reported how plenary got rowdy earlier on Wednesday after the Chairman of the Finance committee, Solomon Olamilekan, presented a report on the president’s “way and means advances” request.

Senators Betty Apiafi and Thompson Sekibo argued that the request was not constitutional.

They also demanded that before the upper legislative chamber could approve the request, the senate must have the details of what the funds were spent on.

The consideration of the report followed Buhari’s letter seeking approval for the “ways and means advances”.

“The ways and means advances by the Central Bank of Nigeria to the federal government has been a funding option to the federal government to cater for short term or emergency finance to fund delayed government-expected cash receipt of fiscal deficit,” Buhari wrote

“The ways and means, balances as at 19th December 2022 is N22.7 trillion.”

Later on Wednesday, Senator Olamilekan moved a motion asking his colleagues to step down the request after the rowdy session and a closed meeting that lasted for nearly an hour.

The lawmaker also recommended that N1 trillion from the “ways and means advances” be used to fund the N819 billion supplementary budget already passed by the senate.

The upper chamber unanimously adopted the recommendation after it was put to vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.

Lawan appointed Ibrahim Gobir, majority leader, to lead an ad hoc committee to liaise with the relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to get details of the aforementioned funds spent.