"BACK 2 SENDER" 2013 Budget: We can’t receive Jonathan -Reps
The House of Representatives yesterday rejected President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to present the 2013 budget proposal on October 4.
It hinged its decision on the conflict between the President’s date and the time frame the lower chamber set for oversight of projects executed by ministries and agencies.
President Jonathan had on Tuesday written the two chambers of the National Assembly informing them of plans to present the 2013 budget on October 4.
The letter was read on the floor of the two chambers by the Senate President, David Mark, and House Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.
However, addressing journalists after the plenary yesterday, House spokesman, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, said the lawmakers would not be available to receive President Jonathan’s budget presentation on October 4.
Mohammed said: “We are going on oversight and will not be back until October 9.”
Mohammed had last week said the House would not accept the 2013 Budget until it was satisfied with the implementation of this year’s budget.
But only last week it accepted the medium term budget sent by the Presidency after a meeting with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.
The House is billed to begin oversight of projects on October 1.
Dismissing insinuation that the House’s decision not to receive President Jonathan on October 4 was in furtherance of the rift between the House and the executive, Zakari said: “There is no rift between us.”
He continued: “It is purely on the ground of what I told you.”
On the deportation of some Nigerian women on hajj by the Saudi Arabia authorities, the House spokesman said the issue was being addressed by the two countries.
Meanwhile, in order to properly harness the activities and contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora to national development, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, yesterday proposed the establishment of a national diaspora centre as a rallying point for this purpose.
This was even as members of the House of Representatives are pushing for the setting up of a diaspora commission and putting in place a policy that would facilitate proper coordination of diaspora affairs.
This, according to the House, is to facilitate the harmonisation of the talents of Nigerians in the diaspora with the nation’s development efforts.
The SGF made the proposal when a delegation of the House Committee on Diaspora, led by its Chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, paid him a courtesy call in his office to seek ways forward on diaspora matters.
He stated that the establishment of a diaspora centre should go together with the development of a diaspora policy.
He assured the visiting team that he would get the consent of President Jonathan to set up a committee comprising members of the parliament and the executive to work together to articulate how it would function effectively.
He, however, cautioned against leaving the programmes and the general diaspora affairs in the hands of the government because it might be fluctuating from one administration to another.
The SGF suggested that it would be better for the diaspora centre to be given an environment conducive for effective functioning without necessarily depending on the government for funding.
Anyim revealed that President Jonathan was highly interested in diaspora issues and would give the idea of national diaspora centre and diaspora policy full support.
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