The Senate on Thursday erupted in protest over the failure to schedule debate on the withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account for the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the North East and equipping the military generally.
The National Economic Council had last week given President Muhammadu Buhari the go ahead to withdraw $1 billion from the ECA.
The NEC is mainly populated by the 36 States Governors.
On Wednesday Senator Samuel Anyanwu had raised a point of order on the withdrawal of the $1 billion without the approval of the National Assembly, which has power over the national purse.
Anyanwu promised to present the motion on Thursday for debate.
But the motion was not listed in Thursday’s Order Paper for debate, a development which infuriated many senators at the plenary.
Protesting the refusal of Senate leadership to schedule the issue on the Order Paper, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, asked to know why it was not.
Ekweremadu referred the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to the resolution of the Senate on Wednesday to debate the issue on Thursday.
He said: “We agreed to look into the approval of $1 billion for the fight against Boko Haram today.
“We have looked and checked the Order Paper, the matter was not listed for discussion as agreed.”
Responding, the to point of order, Saraki explained that the matter was not listed because Anyanwu who raised the issue was not in the chamber.
Saraki assured that the issue would be taken in the next legislative day.
When the Senate President discovered that the lawmakers were not pleased with his explanation, he took time to assure the senators that his party, the All Progressives Congress, will not spend any money without following due process.
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