By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Mr Ita Enang, has urged the parliament to suspend its recess and reconvene to approve the N228 billion supplementary budget needed to prosecute the 2019 general elections.
Mr Enang made this plea while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Friday morning on his way to the airport.
The former lawmaker said if the supplementary budget was not quickly passed by the two arms of the National Assembly, it could cause a serious setback to the polls and other organs of the government.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian parliament announced it was going on its annual holiday to resume on September 25, 2018.
Some days ago, President Buhari sent a supplementary budget to the legislature to provide funds for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to conduct the polls next year.
Speaking with journalists today, Mr Enang said, “The executive will keep working with the legislature with respect due their offices and persons, and keep working with them as legislators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who make laws for the executive to execute irrespective of their individual political decisions while leaving all options open for conciliation.
“We will be praying the legislature to consider that there are many matters of very urgent nature which are pending before the legislature and unless (they are) considered, the functioning of certain institutions of the government will be hampered.
“If you recall, a lot of the funding for the 2018 budget was budgeted to come from some external sources. The request for approval to raise funds from these external sources is before the legislature and unless (it is) considered, it may hamper the level of implementation. Again, before the legislature proceeded on vacation, Mr President also laid before them the request for virement, this also will be affected.”
