Reps fume over Buhari’s budget presentation

House of Representatives members on Thursday fumed over the sudden letter of notification from President Muhammadu Buhari seeking to present the 2019 budget next Wednesday. Speaker Yakubu Dogara at plenary read the letter from President Buhari asking the House for permission to enable him present next year’s appropriation bill to the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday next week. According to Dogara, the letter was brought to the House just this (Thursday) morning from the Presidency. However, Rep. Adamu Chika swiftly raised a point of order after Speaker Dogara had read the President’s letter, complaining that his privilege as a member of the House has been breached. Rep. Chika alleged that the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, had informed Nigerians that the executive was waiting for the National Assembly to give them a date only for the letter from the President requesting to lay the budget to appear on Thursday. The minister’s action, he argued “is portraying the members of the National Assembly in bad light in the eyes of the public that we’re the ones delaying the 2019 budget presentation”. Speaking also, Rep. Rotimi Agunsoye (APC/Lagos) said that the minister should be summoned to explain to the House his comment, otherwise, the House should take action against him. Rep. Mark Gbilah (APC/Benue) in supporting this position added that “for lying to the public, we want the minister to formally apologise to the House else the House should boycott the budget presentation by President Buhari”. But, House Leader, Femi Gbajabiiamila added a twist to the issue, disclosing that “the minister called me this morning that he is shocked that he just read the story on one of the dailies. “He said he will write a rejoinder that he never made such claims as reported”. Ruling on the point of order raised by Rep. China, the speaker appealed for patience from his colleagues, assuring that the minister would issue a rejoinder, otherwise, action will be taken against him. Henry Omunu, Abuja