Apprehension as Senate declares 2017 Budget missing

Plans by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to draw the Nigerian economy out of recession through the 2017 budget may have suffered a setback as the Senate on Wednesday declared the Budget document missing.

But the development is causing apprehension in the polity as some stakeholders are expressing divergent views over the propriety of the alleged missing appropriation documents.

The Daily Times recalls that this will be the second time the nation’s Appropriation Bill will be declared missing under President Muhamnadu Buhari’s administration. The first being the 2016 budget which the Senate also declared missing while the National Assembly members were on short recess.

It took several accusations and counter accusations between the executive and the legislature to get the impasse surrounding the budget sorted out before the document was passed and assented to by the President.

It is instructive to note that this time around, the Senate is linking the missing budget documents to an earlier invasion and raid on the residence of the Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje.

But the lawmakers are claiming that several documents and files on the budget were missing during the police’s raid.

Incidentally, Danjuma is equally the Chairman of the Joint National Assembly Committee on Appropriation saddled with the task of harmonising budget issues between the Senate and the House of Representatives.

But this development appears like a play out of the worsening relationship between the Executive and the Senate over some irreconcilable differences.

The Senate had earlier shown aversion to the insistence by President Buhari to stick to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, after it rejected him twice.
The Daily Times recalls that the senators had threatened to always stand down further requests from the President until removal of Magu.

The Police had, however, claimed that the force conducted a search on the home of Senator Goje, following a tipoff from a whistle blower.

But the drama over the missing 2017 budget document came to the fore during Wednesday’s plenary when Senator Goje recounted his ordeal with the police invasion of his residence last Thursday to his colleagues.

According to Goje, policemen who raided his residence at Asokoro, Abuja, took away 18 files containing his working documents on the budget as well as his laptop where more of the information on the budget were stored as well as cash in both local and foreign currencies.

Goje added that the Police only found N18 million, $19,000 and 4,000 Saudi’s Ryadh in his residence.
He further told his colleagues that the Police last Thursday stormed his residence in a commando like operation and immediately blocked all entry to his residence while preventing family members from going in or out of the building.

He also stated that the officers numbering over 20 came in 6 Hillux vans and one big bus, saying that on entering into the main building, broke all doors, especially those leading to his study, bedroom and the wardrobe to cart away money, documents, files and his laptop.

He said that police occupied his building and subjected members of his family, his grandchildren and visitors to a four hour trauma, saying that at the end, left everyone they met frightened.

The Senate Appropriation Committee Chairman also said he was at the National Assembly working on the 2017 Budget with his colleagues when the Police came calling.

Goje further claimed that the Senate Appropriation Committee had concluded plans to work on the budget with break neck speed with intent to turn in the final document to the Senate for approval this week.
But he declared that from indications, the raid on his residence by the Police had disrupted the plan for budget presentation.

He said: “Up till now, I don’t know why the Police came to raid my house. I still don’t know what they took away because they took my laptop, 18 files and other documents.

“From last Thursday till now, I have not been able to do anything because there is nothing to work on.

“As a result of the raid, the 2017 Appropriation documents have been taken and that means the budget may suffer setback.

“The police searched virtually everywhere in my house including soak aways, what they were looking for, I don’t know. Up till this moment, I have no official contact with the police and I have no idea why they came to my house.
So I should not be blamed if the budget is delayed again.”

Goje, who further lamented that the 2017 budget documents are now with the police for unclear reasons, also
exonerated the Senate of any blame having to do with further delay of the budget.

He explained that work had already been concluded on the Appropriation bill and that the committee was hoping to present it to the Senate today (Wednesday) for consideration and passage and for assent by the President.

“But the entire programme has been truncated. So Nigerians should bear with the Senate and ask the police where their budget is.”

In his remarks, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said it was imperative for the Police to come out clearly to state reason why policemen raided the residence of Senator Goje.

Saraki said he found it most unfortunate to be told that the Police admitted that they were misinformed and misled by a whistle-blower to raid Goje’s residence, a development he described as highly embarrassing to the Senate.

He, however, called on the Police to as a matter of urgency, return the files containing the 2017 Budget which he said they took away from Senator Goje and make a public presentation of the documents to him.

The Senate President thereafter referred the matter to an ad-hoc Committee set up to look into the attempted assassination on Senator Dino Melaye and the issues raised against the Police by Senator Goje.

The ad hoc committee which has Senator Jibril Barau (APC, Kano State) as chairman also include Senators Isa Misau (APC, Bauchi State), Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu) and David Umoru (APC, Niger State).
Saraki said that he had earlier been informed (although unofficially) by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police that the Inspector General of Police said it has something to do with whistle blowing and that they were misled.

“I expect the police to come out and accept responsibility and apologise,” Saraki stated, adding that the Ad-hoc Committee should ascertain circumstances surrounding what the police was doing at Senator Danjuma Goje’s house.

He urged the committee to work closely with the House of Representatives on the matter, just as he commended the

Speaker of the House of Representatives and the members for the manner in which they intervened in the matter.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Wednesday issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to return all documents relating to the 2017 budget carted away from the Abuja residence of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, by the police during a raid last week.

The House while condemning the invasion of Senator Goje’s residence by the police last Thursday, said during the raid, the security agents broke doors, ceiling and carted away documents, including reports of the 2017 Appropriation Bill.

The House directed that the documents must be returned not later than today (Thursday) so as not to jeopardise the passage of the 2017 budget billed to be laid before the two chambers of the National Assembly this week.

Also, the House further resolved to summon police inspector general to appear before an ad-hoc committee of the House, to be set-up on the issue, to explain the circumstances surrounding the said invasion.
The ad-hoc committee when constituted is expected to submit its report within two weeks for further legislative action.

This resolution is sequel to a motion sponsored by, Rep. Abubakar Yunusa Ahmad (APC/Gombe) on the need to check the excesses of security agents with regard to invasion of residences of law abiding citizens.

House members who spoke on the motion condemned the invasion of the residence of Senator Goje, a former governor of Gombe State by the police, describing it as a breach of his fundamental human rights.

The lawmakers expressed anger over the manner the police and other security agencies have been invading the homes of citizens, without recourse to due process, under the guise of fighting corruption.

Leading debate on the motion, Rep. Ahmad said the invasion of Goje’s residence amounted to a gross violation of his fundamental human right, adding that the manner security agencies in the country are going about the fight against corruption is not the way to go.

Speaking on the motion, Rep. Toby Okechukwu (PDP/Enugu) accused the security agencies of attempting to coerce the legislature.

He said it is the duty of the parliament to call to question, anything it considers untoward in the country and urged the House to rise to the challenge.
“They have cowed the judiciary. Now they have proceeded to the legislature. We cannot allow that. We must call to question anything considered untoward.

“Goje’s house was invaded, we don’t know the reason. This kind of whistle blowing should be driven by intelligence,” he said.

Similarly, Rep. Sergius Ogun (PDP/Edo) said the House must put a stop to the undue harassment of innocent citizens by security agencies in the country.

Rep. Ogun added that “they (police) should not get away with it. If a senator can be so treated. Where is the fate of the ordinary Nigerians? We must put a stop to it.”

However, Rep. Ahmed Musa Soba (APC/Kaduna) in countering the motion urged the House not to take a position on the issue and dismissed the motion as “judgmental”.

He said taking a stand on the police invasion of Goje’s residence, without an investigation will subject the House to public ridicule.

The lawmaker said it is the duty of the executive arm of government to arrest, investigate any perceived crime, noting that asking the police to return seized documents is tantamount to asking them to return their exhibits.

“This motion is not calling for investigation. It is judgmental. We should not be seen to be seated here to enforce anybody’s fundamental right,” Soba stated.

However, middle way into his submission, he was heckled by legislators in favour of the motion.

Meanwhile, the Presidency last night kept mum over the development as efforts to get the President’s Adviser on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, for reaction proved abortive as he was said to have been out of his office when The Daily Times called.

The Presidential adviser also did not respond to calls made severally to his mobile phone, although one of his aides said he would respond at the appropriate time.

Relatedly, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, on Wednesday evening visited the National Assembly and spoke with the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawal.

Though he refused to disclose the purpose of his visit to National Assembly Correspondents, The Daily Times learnt that his visit might not be unconnected with the raid on Senator Goje’s residence and the alleged missing 2017 Budget.

The IGP was also said to have had extensive discussion with Ekweremadu and later visited the Senate Leader.

The police chief arrived Senate building at about 4pm and left at about 5pm.