...Workers barred from parliament premises
Disquiet has persisted in government circles over threats by some lawmakers and staff of the National Assembly to disrupt President Jonathan’s budget presentation today.
Daily Trust learnt last night that members of the House of Representatives in the Abubakar Baraje-led PDP faction vowed to heckle the president when he arrives in the chambers today, in retaliation for the booing of Baraje by members of the mainstream PDP in September.
This was why Jonathan postponed the budget presentation earlier scheduled for last week.
Sources in the National Assembly told Daily Trust that the House leadership had been trying to mollify the aggrieved lawmakers, urging them not to embarrass the president.
A meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House had been convened for last night, where Speaker Aminu Tambuwal would plead with his colleagues on the matter.
However, Tambuwal had announced on Wednesday that the postponement of the budget presentation last week was as a result of the non-consideration of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) by the House.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly management yesterday asked its staff from levels 1 to 14 not to resume work until 2pm today.
In a circular, director of personnel management Dr Ishaya Habu Sarki said only staff working in the office of the clerk, the two chambers, sergeant-at-arms, medical and protocol unites were exempted from this directive.
“Officers who flout this directive shall be made to face strict disciplinary action,” the circular said.
Daily Trust learnt that the management of the National Assembly decided to shut out the non-directorate cadre staff because of a plot to disrupt the budget presentation by some workers under the leadership of one Chris.
It could not be confirmed why they planned to do that.
The budget presentation is expected to end before 2pm.
Jonathan is scheduled to address a joint session of the Senate and the House at noon to propose a budget of N4.77 trillion for 2014, according to fiscal documents submitted to the two chambers recently.
The president is to also propose a daily crude oil production of 2.3883 million barrels per day (mbpd), which is lower than the 2013 figure of 2.526 mbpd.
The oil price benchmark would be $74 per barrel.
Today’s budget presentation is coming as the implementation of the 2013 budget is adjudged by the lawmakers as below 40 percent, while finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said it was above 70 percent
This was why Jonathan postponed the budget presentation earlier scheduled for last week.
Sources in the National Assembly told Daily Trust that the House leadership had been trying to mollify the aggrieved lawmakers, urging them not to embarrass the president.
A meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House had been convened for last night, where Speaker Aminu Tambuwal would plead with his colleagues on the matter.
However, Tambuwal had announced on Wednesday that the postponement of the budget presentation last week was as a result of the non-consideration of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) by the House.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly management yesterday asked its staff from levels 1 to 14 not to resume work until 2pm today.
In a circular, director of personnel management Dr Ishaya Habu Sarki said only staff working in the office of the clerk, the two chambers, sergeant-at-arms, medical and protocol unites were exempted from this directive.
“Officers who flout this directive shall be made to face strict disciplinary action,” the circular said.
Daily Trust learnt that the management of the National Assembly decided to shut out the non-directorate cadre staff because of a plot to disrupt the budget presentation by some workers under the leadership of one Chris.
It could not be confirmed why they planned to do that.
The budget presentation is expected to end before 2pm.
Jonathan is scheduled to address a joint session of the Senate and the House at noon to propose a budget of N4.77 trillion for 2014, according to fiscal documents submitted to the two chambers recently.
The president is to also propose a daily crude oil production of 2.3883 million barrels per day (mbpd), which is lower than the 2013 figure of 2.526 mbpd.
The oil price benchmark would be $74 per barrel.
Today’s budget presentation is coming as the implementation of the 2013 budget is adjudged by the lawmakers as below 40 percent, while finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said it was above 70 percent
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