President Jonathan Isn't Getting More Money

                           

The absence of 4 Committee Chairmen yesterday put paid to the House of Representatives' attempt to give accelerated passage to President Goodluck Jonathan's request for an additional N161 Billion for payment of fuel subsidy.

At the Wednesday’s session, the House Leader, Honourable Mulikat Adeola-Akande, moved for the second reading of the request, which by parliamentary practice automatically turned “a bill”, was entitled “a bill for a supplementary appropriation, to authorize the issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, the additional sum of N161, 617,864,911 only, to provide for a supplementary subsidy provision for the rest of 2012 (HB.423).”

In her lead debate, the House Leader pleaded with her colleagues to support the approval, saying that the President acted in good faith by writing the National Assembly, to request for the approval of more money to fund fuel subsidy payment.

She then  charged the lawmakers to be on the side of the people noting that the yuletide period was just around the corner and that there was the need for the Federal Government to pay subsidy claims to oil marketers, in other to have fuel in the filling stations.

Earlier, some of the lawmakers  had argued that there was need for the House to okay the President Jonathan’s request, while a few others called for the need for House to question how the previous N880 billion was expended.

The See-Saw between the president and the National Assembly does not bode well for the yuletide festivities ahead.

But you've got to accept the validity of the question posed by the Lawmakers:

How was the previous N880 Billion spent? Where is the accounting? What is the moral justification for approving more when the earlier approved sum cannot be accounted for?

. . . There goes your Christmas, Nigeria!