The Senate has asked Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and her counterpart in Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, to appear before its Joint Committee on Finance and Appropriation on Tuesday, next week.
The two ministers are expected to appear before the joint committee to explain failure to release adequate funds for the 2017 budget.
At plenary on Tuesday, lawmakers expressed concerns that Nigeria could return to economic recession due to poor implementation of the 2017 budget.
The upper legislative chamber expressed worry that with barely three months to the end of the year, only about 14 percent of the N2.177trillion capital component of the this year’s budget had been released so far.
They therefore asked the Ministers to appear before plenary immediately.
But raising a Point of Order at Thursday plenary, Senate Majority Leader Ahmad Lawan, asked that the two ministers be made to appear before the joint committees instead.
The lawmaker appealed to his colleagues to allow the committees interface with the minister for a more robust discussion.
According to him, some of his colleagues advised that there would be more room for the ministers to discuss the state of the economy at the committee level.
Lawmakers unanimously adopted the new position following a Voice Vote.
In his remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki, urged the Clerk of the National Assembly to communicate the position of the Senate to the top government officials.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
