Ndume accuses Saraki of keeping Senate budget secret

Former Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume, on Wednesday accused the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, of keeping the Budget of the Senate a secret from other lawmakers.

He made the observation during the debate of the 2017 budget by the Senate.

Trouble started when Ali Ndume, immediate-past Senate Leader, raised a point of order to protest his exclusion from the list of lawmakers named to speak on the budget.
Ndume was overruled by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

“Mr. President, when you announced the debate of the budget, you asked us to write our names. I wrote my name after Dino Melaye wrote his. I was prepared to speak, but I was surprised when you did not recognize me. I want to know why Mr. President,” Ndume demanded.

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Saraki said as the presiding officer, he reserves the right to recognize whoever he chooses to. He said Ndume’s name was not listed. He added that the list Ndume alluded to was different from the list he is relying on.

He responded: “I am the one controlling the affairs of the Senate. The list before me is the list I am following. I do not know the list you are talking about.”

When Ndume was eventually recognized to speak, he condemned the secrecy associated with the budget of the Senate. He said lawmakers are not privy to the contents of Senate budget and called on Saraki who doubles as chairman of the National Assembly, to make it public.

He said: “We are here to pass the budget without seeing the details. This is a government of change and this must change. The details of the budget report should be considered holistically. Last year, we had several issues with the budget. In fact to some extent, it was very embarrassing.

“Some of us do not know what was in the budget because the details of the budget have never been provided and this should be done this year. The budget of the Senate is not known to Senators. It should be known this year and this is very important because we cannot be taking blames or hold credit for what we do not know.”

Saraki, had in 2015, shortly after he was elected as Senate President, promised to make details of the National Assembly budget public. In several other fora, he re-echoed the same promise.

Senator Saraki has however not fulfilled his promise, despite the mounting pressure from civil society organizations and other interest groups who have often argued that the National Assembly budget is shrouded in secrecy.

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