Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang, yesterday said the Senate approved President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for an addition N161 billion for subsidy because of security implications.
Senator Enang, however, raised issues with the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) fund, saying the application and utilisation of the funds had not been in the interest of the economy.
Speaking with journalists yesterday, Enang said: “The Senate considered that we suspended our rules. We ought to have done it in two or three days, but it was a national security question which we needed to consider and pass in an expeditious manner.
“However, we have fixed Wednesday, December 19 for the consideration and passage of the 2013 budget.”
He noted that the president deserved commendation for observing the rule of law in seeking the extra budgetary approval.
“Remember that last year, Senator Bukola Saraki brought a motion that there was only a provision of N500billion in the budget for subsidy, and as at August or thereabouts, Nigeria had spent N1.4 trillion.
“What was spent was a little over N2trillion on subsidy, and part of the accusation against him was that he incurred that expenditure without seeking appropriation from the National Assembly. And that was correct because it was not appropriated for,’’ he said.
He commended the president for making good efforts to address a national security question by at least reducing the powerful influence of the oil cabal.
“The cabal have formed such a strong union that they can hold the government to ransom. Some of them have petrol in their tank farms or ships. They refuse to release their products because they are being owed, and they don’t mind paying demurrage instead of bringing it in and selling to Nigerians.
“It is therefore in the interest of Nigerians that we approved the supplementary budget of N161 billion,’’ he submitted.
On SURE-P he said: “I respect Dr. Christopher Kolade and some other individuals, as well as the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; but the application and utilisation of that money has not been in the interest of the economy. We should have told ourselves what we were subsidising: importation of refined petroleum products.