…..Flays National Assembly
BEVERLY HILLS, CA, November 19, (THEWILL) – President Goodluck Jonathan again on Tuesday cancelled his schedule 2014 Budget address to the joint session of the National Assembly.
The cancellation was the second in two weeks. The first presentation was cancelled with advanced notice, but the lawmakers were taken unawares on Tuesday when the lawmakers had literally taken their seats at the chambers of the House of Representatives.
The president flayed members of both chambers advising them to put their house in order and act in harmony over the 2014 budget, before he could present the budget address.
Jonathan condemned what he described as the non-conformist approach of members of the House Representatives on the issue of oil bench mark, which has led to the two chambers having two different oil bench marks for the incoming fiscal year. He said such differing scenario made Tuesday’s presentation not feasible.
Nonetheless, the President said he also would still wait for the lawmakers to reach a new date and on time too.
In a letter addressed to President of the Senate, David Mark, Jonathan told the senators that he was not ready to present the budget before the lawmakers until both chambers harmonise their position on the crude benchmark for the budget.
President Jonathan raised concerns that while the Senate passed $76.5 per barrel, the House passed $79 per barrel.
He had initially proposed $74 per barrel as the oil benchmark in his communication to the National Assembly.
“You will recall that I had written to the National Assembly to present the 2014 budget on Tuesday 19th November, 2013. However, considering the facts that whereas the distinguished senate has approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF based on the benchmark of $76.5 per barrel, the honourable House of Representatives has used a benchmark of $ 79 per barrel.
“It is not feasible for me to present the budget in the absence of a harmonised position on the MTEF. In this circumstance, I find it necessary to defer the presentation of the 2014 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly until such a time when both respective chambers would have harmonised their position in the MTEF. It is my hope that this would be in the shortest possible time,” the letter read in part.
BY EMMA UCHE, ABUJA
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