BEVERLY HILLS, CA, July 03, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Thursday deferred debate on the proposed 2014 budget of the Passage of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) until next Tuesday.
The resolve to postpone consideration of the budget proposal was occasioned by protest from members of the House who demanded for the details of the budget before participating in the exercise.
Signals that the budget, which was listed for passage to second reading would not succeed, emerged as soon as the Majority Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, was presenting the lead debate on the bill.
As soon as she finished and the Deputy House Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, stood up to lend his support to it, members started grumbling and shouting, making it impossible for him to continue the debate. Attempts by the House Speaker, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to restore order fell on deaf ears until the Speaker decided to call for the postponement of the debate.
Tambuwal explained that it was imperative for the debate on the bill to be put off since no member of the House had submitted his or her name to him to contribute to debate on the bill.
The speaker cited Rule 97 (4) of the House standing rules, which states that during debate on money bills, members should submit their names that will be arranged alphabetically and allotted five minutes each to make contributions.
Out of the N271.125 billion proposed for the 2014 fiscal year, N49.200 billion is for personnel cost, N62.891 billion is for overhead cost, while the balance of N159 billion is for capital projects for the service of the FCT.
Meanwhile, the House also deferred debate on the proposed amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act sponsored by Hon. Daniel Reyenieju (PDP, Delta). Debate on the bill continues next Tuesday.
The bill entitled “a bill for an Act to further amend the Electoral Act, No. 6, 2010 to ensure a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process and more transparent process of conducting elections in Nigeria and for other matters connected therewith.”
Reyenieju said the bill seeks to amend Section 2 of the principal act fixing the tenure of the Secretary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at four years renewable only once.
The amendment also seeks to empower INEC to accredit observers and monitors during election. It also seeks to vest the power to request the President to deploy soldiers during election in INEC only.
Several members supported the bill except Hon. Ibrahim el-Sudi, who picked holes in some sections of the bill
SAINT MUGAGA, ABUJA
