It is very common to behold the sight of protesters, especially at the National Assembly main entrance.
From sponsored to real protesters, hungry to professionals, violent to non-violent, mediocre to special protesters, I have encountered all shades and colours of agitators at the main gate of the National Assembly Complex, agitating for one thing or the other. To those who have turned it to a business of some sort, protesting at the National Assembly has become a lucrative venture.
However, a new trend is emerging as some protesters explore other means of ventilating their anger about happenings in the country.
It is what I call ‘intellectual protest’ and a departure from the conventional, energy-sapping exercise. It involves erecting billboard(s) or placing banners within the entrance leading to the main gate, stating your grievances.
As Pro-Buhari and Pro-Saraki lawmakers perfect strategies to either stop or facilitate the process of the National Assembly overriding President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, supporters of the two political gladiators outside the Legislature are also not leaving any stone unturned as regards the enactment of the 2018 budget.
For instance, Pro-Buhari billboards and banners adorn the entrance to the main gate of the National Assembly as well as Federal Secretariat, which houses most federal Ministries in Abuja. A group under the aegis of ‘Red Alert’ blamed the National Assembly for delaying the enactment of the N8.612 trillion 2018 budget.
Both the Executive and the Legislature have been going back and forth with the budget estimates presented by President Buhari to a joint session of the National Assembly on November 7, 2017.
Recent events have also revealed the cat and mouse relationship between the heads of the agencies and the lawmakers as far as the appropriation bill is concerned. First, was the assurance by the Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, that the National Assembly would pass the budget on April 24. Two days later, the Senate released names of heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) frustrating approval of the budget. And twenty-four hours later, some affected heads of MDAs accused lawmakers of demanding bribes as conditions for passing their budgets. How messier can it get?
Back to the Red Alert protest, some of the messages in the billboards and banners include: “National Assembly stop playing politics with 2018 budget”, “National Assembly stop budget padding and pass the 2018 budget now or forget constituency visit as the masses are waiting for you”.
But other banners with counter-messages were also placed side-by-side with those of Buhari’s sympathisers.
Ostensibly sympathetic to Senate President Bukola Saraki, the banners with no organisations printed on them read: “Put the blame where it belongs. Ministers are subverting budget passage”, “Ministers are responsible for delay in budget passage,” “Mr President, call your ministers to order,” among others.
Still on the budget, at the second National Budget Hearing in Abuja last week, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Mustapha Dawaki, disclosed that the National Assembly had deferred the approval of this year’s budget till May 2018.
Some ministers also missed the golden opportunity provided by the budget hearing, as their presentations were outside of the scope of the programme or what we called ‘Out of Point (O.P.)’ in our university days.
For instance, rather than use the event to highlight grey areas in the national budget that had impeded their ministries performance, Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Aisha and her counterpart for State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, simply regurgitated their presentations at their respective budget defence sessions.
Dawaki, however, made futile attempts to call them to order.
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Babatunde Fashola hit the nail on the head during his presentation when he called for further amendment to the procurement law with a view to reducing the timeframe of the procurement process.
Meanwhile, the Senate has accused some heads of ministries, departments and agencies of frustrating the approval of the budget.
In an attempt to name and shame the Executive, the Red Chamber listed the heads of ministries and agencies responsible for delaying the budget approval to include: Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun; her Works, Power and Housing counterpart, Babatunde Fashola; Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation Minister); Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma as well as Information Minister, Lai Mohammed.
In a document released recently, others listed as frustrating the quick enactment of the budget by the National Assembly include: Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; Adebayo Shittu (Communications); Adamu Adamu (Education); Mansur Dan-Ali (Defence); Isaac Adewale (Health); Kayode Fayemi (Solid Minerals); Godfrey Onyeama (Foreign Affairs); Okechuwku Enelamah (Trade and Investment).
Also listed are the acting chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu; National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno; Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.
The legislative body insisted that the heads of MDAs were yet to conclude their 2018 budget defences before the various standing committees.
The document also listed committees saddled with the responsibility of entertaining the budget defences of the indicted agencies.
The committees yet to conclude their exercise as a result of non-appearance of heads of MDAs are Public Accounts, National Intelligence, Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Communications, Culture and Tourism, Defence, Education (Basic and Secondary), Finance and Foreign Affairs.
Other committees include Health, Housing, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Industries (Investment), Land Transport, National Planning, Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, Privatisation, Science and Technology, Solid Minerals, Sports and Youth Development, Tertiary Education and TETFUND, Trade and Investment, Water Resources and Works.
The Red Chamber adjourned plenary till April 10 where fireworks between Pro-Saraki and Pro-Buhari senators will assume take centre stage.
Owede Agbajileke
