Lawmakers to quiz Sanusi and Aganga over comments - NEXT

The National Assembly has summoned the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido, and the finance minister, Olusegun Aganga, to defend comments on legislative expenditure by the government.

The summons in both chambers of the National Assembly is following comments attributed to the CBN governor that the National Assembly is serviced with up to 25% of the overhead cost of annual budgets and the subsequent hint by the finance minister to cut down the budgetary allocation to the National Assembly.

The emotion laden Senate also summoned the special adviser to the president on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to clarify the issue about the administration of “constituency projects.”

While the officials will appear before a select committee in the Senate, the House of Representatives invited both government officials to appear before the whole House and before a live TV coverage.

Rep members argued that considering the implications of the comments attributed to Messrs Sanusi and Aganga on the image of the National Assembly, and the electoral values of members, both men should appear before the entire House on Thursday.

“These comments are lies. They owe us an explanation and most importantly, they owe the public an explanation. There is more to this than is coming to us now,” the Senate president argued.

The Senate, however, declined nudges to let the summoned government officials appear before the whole Senate, saying both government officials have lost the privilege to enter their chamber after such disparaging comments against them.

The Senate, rather, summoned both men to appear before members of the Senate committee on finance and banking, appropriation, MDGs, and the national planning committee, today.

Sanusi’s wikileaks

Some senators argued that Mr. Sanusi’s comments have incited the public against the lawmakers, and this is worse than the treason which the United States government is preparing to charge the CEO of Wikileaks, for releasing highly confidential cable communications between the US government and their envoys abroad.

Others complained the reports have caused them and their families’ psychological trauma and stigmatization.

“Let Sanusi and the finance minister appear before us so that we can dress them down,” Nuhu Aliyu (PDP, Niger State) urged his colleagues.

Others called for his sack for turning against lawmakers.

“We have treated Aganga (and Mallam Sanusi Lamido) very well in this chamber; why should they attack us?” Jubril Aminu (PDP, Adamawa State) lamented.

The senators said the comments of the government officials was an exhibition of “ignorance at high places”, arguing that the entire budget of the National Assembly for this year is N158 billion, which is “just about 3% of the total national budget.”

After an explosive recruitment interview with the Senate for his job, in which he countered some policies of the then president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Mr. Sanusi has gained the reputation of a radical technocrat who may not be intimidated by crowd or position.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Reuben Muoka, expressed delight at the passage of the budget, which he said has been long overdue.

“This is a 2010 budget that we are talking about. We are happy that the budget has been approved so that we can get to work. It is with mixed feelings that we receive this news. Our budget ought to have been approved earlier, but it has been delayed due to unnecessary controversy. All the same, we are happy that our promise to Nigerians to do the SIM card registration can now be fulfilled,” he said.