“March 30 deadline for passage of 2017 budget not sacrosanct”

From Ndubuisi Orji and Kemi Yesufu, Abuja

There was a rowdy session at the House of Representatives, yesterday, as the House adopted the report of the Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the probe of the Centenary City.

The report indicted the former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, former Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed and the directors of Centenary City Plc, Paul Oki and Boma Ozobia, for their respective roles in the Centenary City project.

Consequently, the committee called for their prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau ( CCB).

The Centenary City project was conceived by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to commemorate Nigeria’s centenary celebration and was supervised by Anyim as SGF.

The four points recommendation stated that “all the Statutory Rights of Occupancy purportedly revoked by the former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, in respect of the area covered by the Centenary City should be restored to the original owners.

“That the Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy, purportedly, granted to the Centenary City Plc by the former FCT Minister, Mohammed, on April 10, 2014, should be withdrawn by the present FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello.”

The committee also recommended that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should direct the Managing Director of the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority, through the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, to revoke the Certificate of Free Trade Zone granted to the Centenary City Plc, and the company should be deregistered as a Free Zone Entity, FZE.

It committee further recommended that, “the relevant law enforcement agencies, including but not limited to the CCB and the EFCC, should investigate the role of the parties involved in the promotion/selection of Centenary City Plc as investors; and their roles in the management of the Centenary City Project. The promoters include the former SGF; the former FCT Minister; Ms. Boma Ozobia and Mr. Paul Oki.”

However, Hon. Rasaq Atunwa proposed an amendment to the fourth recommendation, that all public officials indicted in the report be prosecuted and public funds wasted on the project recovered.  The amendment was supported by the majority of members.

Shortly before the House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole for consideration of the report, a member of the FCT Committee, Linus Okorie, from Ebonyi State, raised a point of order.

Citing Order 17, Rule 3(e)of the House rules, and section 36 of the 1999 constitution, Okorie said his dissenting opinion was not reflected in the committee report.

He noted that his right to fair hearing was breached by the committee, in contravention of the House rules and the constitution.

The lawmaker argued that including his dissenting opinion on the committee report would not necessarily change the tenor, but would show he did not agree with the report.

The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara admitted that Okorie had a right to be heard, but said he lost “the time within which his dissenting opinion ought to have been expressed.” He, therefore, urged that he be given ample time during the consideration.

During the consideration of the report, Okorie battled, effortlessly, to get the House to quash all the four recommendations, stressing that the committee did not follow due diligence in arriving at its conclusion. But while he struggled to advance his position, the House became rowdy as most of the members heckled him.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the House committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas has said the March 30 deadline set for the passage of the 2017 budget is no longer sacrosanct.

Speaking during the weekly briefing by his committee, yesterday, Namdas, however, assured that the National Assembly is working assiduously to pass the budget on time.

“I want to talk on the 2017 budget; that the House is doing all it takes to ensure we  meet the deadline. The March 30 deadline, just for record purposes, may not, actually, be sacrosanct because of the new development.

“For example, we have a new budget software compared to what we had before. It’s a little slower than the budget process of the Appropriation Committee.

“Apart from that, you are aware that even the Federal Executive Council, on a weekly basis, approves new projects for 2017 Appropriation. We will continue to do what is before us, but if there’s need for some projects that are very viable, as representatives of the people, we will look at some of the approvals and see how we can accommodate them.

“However, we will do our very best to meet up with the March 30 deadline, but, I’ve told you the date is not actually sacrosanct,” he said.