NASS To Make Public 2016 Budget Breakdown

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Sunday said the National Assembly would make public the details of the 2016 budget breakdown.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Social Media, Mr Bamikole Omishore, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
Saraki said that from 2016, Nigerians would not have to rely on the ‘’falsehood’’ they received from some online media.
He said that the development was in fulfilment of his inaugural promise and part of efforts to satisfy the curiosity of some Nigerians who had been clamouring that the budget should be made public.
“By the time we come into the 2016 budget, at the end of the year, it will be clearer because people just see one item line. But that is not going to happen now; you will see what goes to the Senate and what goes to the House of Representatives.

You are going to see what goes to the management, what goes to the Legislative Institute and we are going to make all these open and clear.

That is part of the openness we promised,’’ Saraki said in the statement.

 
He recalled that at his inauguration on June 9, he promised that there would be change from impunity and elite arrogance to a life of accountability and respect for every citizen.
He said that the National Assembly must, therefore, justify the privilege of representation conferred on it by the people.
“As the President of the 8th Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, I shall be guided by the enormity of the responsibilities that this moment imposes on all of us,’’ he said.
Saraki restated his commitment to being accessible to the citizens on the dealings of the senate, saying that he understood the expectations of Nigerians from him as president of the senate.

 

(NAN)

Only 6 Female Senators In 8th National Assembly

Only six out of the 109 senators who will serve in the 8th National Assembly are women. Four of the female senators were elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) while two are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP senators-elect are Stella Oduah (Anambra North), Uche Ekwunife (Anambra Central), Rose Oko (Cross River North) and Fatimat Raji-Rasaki (Ekiti Central). Those elected of APC platform are Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and Binta Garba (Adamawa North).

An examination of the list of the female senators-elect showed that all of them, except Senator Tinubu, are new members of the Red Chamber. The number of female senators who will serve in the 8th assembly is 25 per cent less from the eight that are in the outgoing 7th assembly.

Statistics on the number of senators-elect for the 8th assembly revealed that 79 senators or 72 per cent are new while 30 senators or 28 per cent are old members returning for different terms in the upper chamber.

According to the statistics, APC with 61 senators or 56 per cent of the total number of senators will enjoy simple majority control in the chamber as against 44 per cent or 48 senators it has in the outgoing 7th Assembly.

The reverse is the case for PDP, which lost its majority status in the Upper Chamber with 48 senators-elect as against 61 senators in the outgoing 7th assembly.

Credit: NAN