By Henry Umoru
Strong Indications have emerged that senators may be in for a stormy session tomorrow on how to restructure the payment of N23.7 trillion “Ways and Means” secured from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, in the last 10 years.
Vanguard gathered that as senators reconvene tomorrow for the last legislative sitting before adjourning to travel to their senatorial districts for next month’s presidential and National Assembly elections, there would be stiff resistance from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
A senator, who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity and noted that there would be uproar, said this would be because the money in question had been spent and would be a burden on the children yet unborn..
According to the senator, there is provision for Ways and means, but there is no constitutional provision for Ways and means advances.
It was gathered that the Senate would have approved it last week and thereafter close till after the elections, but noted that sensing the body language of the senators, the President of the Senate was said to have prevailed on the Senate Leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, APC, Sokoto East, not to include it in the Order paper.
The source further told Vanguard that the Ways and Means prevented most of the senators from travelling, especially the PDP senators, to ensure that they were part of the meetings and to avoid being caught unawares.
The senator said: ” We will resist the Ways and Means on Tuesday (tomorrow) in the same manner we kicked against it last last month. There is no constitutional provision for Ways and Means advances. This government is very corrupt, it has put the country in a very serious danger with loans for the unborn generation.”
It will be recalled that for several hours on December 28, 2022, the Senate was in uproar over how to restructure the payment of N23. 7 trillion “Ways and Means” secured from the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) in the last 10 years.
Following the action, the Ahmad Lawan, forced the senators to go into a closed door session to avoid fisticuffs.
“Ways and Means” are soft loans or advances by the Central Bank to the Federal Government to enable it cater for short term or emergency finance to fund delayed government expected cash receipt of fiscal deficits.”
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