The stage is all set for the Senate and the House of Representatives to receive President Muhammadu Buhari as he presents the 2018 budget Tuesday next week.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, failed to appear before an ad- hoc committee of the Senate investigating allegations of corruption levelled against him.
Below are major highlights of what transpired at the Nigerian Senate this week:
Tuesday – The Senate charged the Ministries of Finance and Budget to prioritise the Ministry of Health in the release of annual budgetary allocation while bemoaning the poor state of government owned hospitals. – The Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime said that the current law on cybercrime in Nigeria needs to be reviewed to meet the standard in developed countries. – The Senate said the sack of former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has vindicated its position on investigation carried out by its ad hoc committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-east. – In a statement signed by the Senate President, the lawmakers condoled with Senator Danjuma Goje, who lost his wife on Monday.
Wednesday – The Senate ad-hoc committee set up to investigate various allegations levelled against the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris threatened to issue an arrest warrant to compel his appearance. – After assent by President Buhari, some senators faulted the North-east Development Commission for excluding Kano and Plateau states, among other reasons. – A director of the Federal Scholarship Board, FSB, Fatima Ahmad, informed the Senate President and some other Senators that the country is currently owing Nigerian students abroad N2.4 billion in tuition and allowances.
Thursday – Senator Dino Melaye alleged that the Ministry of Power squandered $385 million on projects not appropriated in the budget between 2013 and 2016. – The Senate received a letter from Mr. Buhari seeking to present the 2018 budget at a joint session of the National Assembly by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.
