N’Assembly to prioritise MTEF, constitution review on resumption — Senate Leader
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has stated that both Chambers of the National Assembly are expecting the new Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from the Executive, which are integral parts of yearly budget preparation, consideration, and approval.
In a personally signed statement, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele made this known in Abuja on Monday.
The PUNCH reports that the MTEF is the legal framework that provides the template for the budget and is usually submitted to Parliament ahead of the President’s presentation of his yearly budget to lawmakers.
Both the Red and Green Chambers embarked on their annual recess on July 17 and will resume plenary activities on Tuesday, September 24.
The Senate Leader stated, “The consideration of the MTEF occupies a prime place on our legislative agenda.”
“This is simply because the MTEF must be ready before the 2025 Appropriation Bill can be laid before the National Assembly.”
The Senate Leader also revealed that the constitutional review, which has been ongoing since the inauguration of the committee, will take its full course in the coming months.
He added, “We are equally preoccupied with the review of the 1999 Constitution. In the Senate, the Constitution Review Committee is chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau.
“In the coming weeks, the Committee will hold retreats and strategy sessions, call for memoranda, and organise zonal meetings on some sections of our Constitution that should be amended.”
“Given the credentials of all its members, this exercise promises a truly federative approach that will redefine and reinvent public governance in this country,” Bamidele noted.
Similarly, the Senate Leader explained that the joint committee to probe the alleged oil theft will be inaugurated.
Previously, the Senate ad-hoc committee had been tasked with this responsibility and operated separately from the House of Representatives.
He explained, “As we return fully to parliamentary sessions on Tuesday this week, the National Assembly will, without ambiguity, revisit its decision to address challenges in the petroleum industry decisively.
“The industry is not performing optimally. This may be linked to crude oil theft, endless turnaround maintenance of public refineries, the importation of substandard petroleum products, and disruptions in fuel supply, among others.
“Contrary to some media reports, the Senate never suspended its Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, but postponed its public hearing due to the need to address issues relating to the Rules of the National Assembly.”
The Senate Leader further explained, “Today, both chambers of the National Assembly will resolve the issues and possibly constitute a joint committee that will continue the investigation from where the ad hoc committee left off.
“We are committed to unearthing the roots of economic sabotage in the petroleum industry in the national interest and developing institutional mechanisms that will make the industry more efficient and functional.”
