Newspaper review: Saraki, Dogara attack Osinbajo, says Acting President's remarks are faulty
At a crossroad located in Pen Cinema, Agege area of Lagos, groups mainly made up of men, gather around different newspaper stands, arguing away.
Going closer to the stands and one realizes that the bane of the debate is Nigeria's 2017 budget.
Having stayed 6months before getting signed, Nigerians are trying to make sense of the situation on ground, wondering what the chances of implementing the budget are.
The headlines of the major dailies for this Friday, June 16, share the concerns of the people in the streets, even as a closer look is taken as to the politics of having the budget signed.
READ ALSO: Acting President Osinbajo appoints 10 Nigerians into CCB board
We begin this day's review with The Nation which bears the headline: "Osinbajo's budget remarks faulty, say Saraki, Dogara"
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday drew the ire of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara over his comments on the National Assembly’s increase of the budget from N7.28 trillion to N7.44 trillion.
At plenary in both chambers, Saraki and Dogara said the lawmakers did not overreach themselves by jacking up the budget.
The Senate would not surrender its constitutional powers to the executive, Saraki said, in reaction to an issue raised by Deputy Senate Leader Bala Ibn Na’Allah.
The House of Representatives, Dogara noted, would not be a rubber stamp. He was reacting to an order on the breach of privilege brought by Abubakar Lawal (Adamawa).
The Presidency will seek the Supreme Court’s interpretation on the issue, it was learnt last night.
Vanguard bears the same budget story on its frontpage, with the title: "N-Assembly, Osinbajo clash over 2017 budget"
The Senate said, yesterday, it would not concede its constitutional powers to the executive arm of government. Saraki, Dogara and Osinbajo.
The declaration came on a day Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, also said the House would not serve as a rubber stamp to the executive arm.
Both arms of the National Assembly were reacting to a statement made by Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, that the National Assembly had no powers to introduce new projects into the budget.
Osinbajo had alleged: “This last budget, the President presented it last December. Despite the assurances that it will be passed by February, it was not, until May.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 new app
“As it turned out, we were quite disappointed that it took a bit of time before it was approved. And thereafter, we had to go into negotiations with the National Assembly in order to get it right.
“Now, there are these two broad issues about who can do what.
The first report is about who can do what. When you present a budget to the National Assembly, it is presented as a bill, an appropriation bill.
“Secondly, do not introduce entirely new projects and all of that or modify projects. This is something that we experienced last year and this year again. It now leaves the question about who is supposed to do what?”
The Guardian bears another major headline: "Militants give northerners October 1 to quit Niger Delta".
A coalition of Niger Delta militant groups rose from a meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state yesterday ordering all northerners to quit the oil-rich region.
The militants threatened to attack all oil wells owned by northerners in Niger Delta before October 1, 2017.
The groups, under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, berated the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, Inspector General of Police, Department of State Services and the Army for not arresting those who issued an ultimatum to Igbo to leave the north.
This development has stoked the tension that is threatening to tear the nation apart.
The government which has initiated a peace process may have to increase its parleys with stakeholders to avert the threats to the Nigerian union.
At the joint meeting between the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators and youth leaders across the region to review the state of the nation, the militant leaders demanded an immediate return of oil blocs owned by northerners to the Niger Delta people.
The Punch bears the headline: "Alleged corruption: EFCC set to reopen probe of CCT chair"
There were strong indications on Thursday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission would reopen investigation into allegations of corruption against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi Usman.
Sources at the anti-graft agency in Abuja said the commission had started screening all outstanding petitions against the CCT Chairman.
Below is a Legit.ng video in which Nigerians react to the recently signed budget.
Source: Legit.ng
