Posted by By TONY ICHEKU and BLESSING ONWUZUO, Abuja on
As the executive and the legislature sing different tunes over the 2008 Appropriation Bill, President Umaru Yar'Adua has invited the leadership of the House of Representatives to a meeting to iron out the grey areas of the bill.
As the executive and the legislature sing different tunes over the 2008 Appropriation Bill, President Umaru Yar'Adua has invited the leadership of the House of Representatives to a meeting to iron out the grey areas of the bill.
This was conveyed through a letter signed by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa on Wednesday.
Also to accompany them includes the chairmen of House Committee on Finance and Appropriations respectively.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole has urged his colleagues to fast-track action on the appropriation bill so that it would be passed into law soonest.
Bankole in his remarks to welcome the lawmakers from their brief recess said: 'As we resume plenary session, I implore honourable colleagues to fast-track the outstanding process of the 2008 budget for the overall benefit of the ordinary Nigerian.
At the end of it all, we intend to have a pragmatic and people-oriented budget that aligns with the collective aspirations of all Nigerians. Our philosophy has also centered on the imperative to faithfully monitor the appropriation process for the effective implementation of the 2008 budget."
The speaker, while affirming that the executive was responsible for the delay in the passage of the bill, added that the House would 'utilize the next few days in putting finishing touches to the 2008 budget"
Bankole who described the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution as timely and in response to the defects which have been noticed in the Constitution over time, remarked that the amendment is an important national issue, and a challenge the House is fully prepared to tackle in order to give Nigerians 'a Constitution that aggregates our noble aspirations in building a great country of our collective dreams"
Urging the lawmakers to be up and doing, Bankole remarked that 'We should have at the back of our mind that 2008 is our first full legislative year in the 6th National Assembly. This year, therefore, remains significant to us in terms of the need to make the desired impact and consolidate on our successes. We must use 2008 to concretize our legacy of proactiveness, sacrifice and institutional transformation in the collective strives to etch our names in gold"