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Indications emerged on Wednesday that the National Assembly will not accede to President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to include the $496 million arms fund into the 2018 budget.
According to the leadership of House of Representatives, works on the 2018 budget has reached advance stage and slated for passage next week, and would tantamount to holding Nigerians and businesses to ransom.
One of the lawmakers who spoke with BusinessDay under condition of anonymity, argued that such consideration or rubber stamp would constitute a major setback for the new deadline set for passage of the budget.
While responding to BusinessDay inquiry on the status of the Appropriation bill, Abdulrasak Namdas, chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity explained that all the grey areas surrounding the budget have been sorted with the Executive.
Namdas (APC-Adamawa) noted that “what is preoccupying our minds is budget, budget, budget. Hopefully, we will pass it next week.”
He was however uncertain whether the new request for inclusion of $496 million will be given favorable consideration of the House considering the agitation raised by majority of members when President Buhari’s letter was read by the Speaker.
Recall that the members of the House had during the debate on the letter sent by Mr. President expressed opposition to the anticipatory approval granted by President Buhari for the payment of $496,374,470 for the procurement of Super Tucano Aircfraft from the United States Government.
During the debate, majority of the lawmakers alleged that the action of Mr. President was an impeachable offence, hence called for invocation of section 143 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Buhari had in a letter titled: ‘Supplementary input to the 2018 Appropriation bill: Purchase of Super Tucano Aircfraft from the United States Government,’ dated 13th April, 2018 disclosed that the $1 billion was approved by the State Governors at the Federal Economic Council on 14th December, 2017 where a resolution was passed.
“With the Council approving that up to $1 billion may be released and utilized from the Excess Crude Account to address the situation. Subsequent upon this approval, we are preparing a comprehensive schedule of all the requirements for each of the security serve ces for presentation to the National Assembly for consideration.
He explained that Nigeria had been in discussions with the US government for a number of years for the purchase of the Super Tucano Aircraft under a direct government-to-government arrangement, adding that the US government recently granted the approval with a deadline within which part payment must be made otherwise the contract would elapse.
“In expectation that the National Assembly would have no objection to the purchase of this highly specialized Aircraft, which is critical to national security, I grants anticipatory approval for the release of $496,374,470. This was paid directly to the Treasury of the United States Government.
“I am therefore writing, seeking approval of this House for the sum of $496,374,470 (equivalent to N151,394,421,335) to be included in the 2018 Appropriation bill, which the National Assembly is currently finalizing.
“The balance of the requirements for critical operational equipment is still being collated from different security services, and will be presented in the form of a supplementary Appropriation bill, in due course,” Bihari said in the two-page letter.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
