N-Assembly emoluments: Reps suspend meeting with Sanusi

In very curious manner, the House of Representatives yesterday suspended a session with Central Bank Governor, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Sanusi was billed to flesh up his allegations before the House that the National Assembly alone has gulped 25% of the 2010 overhead budget.

The CBN governor had checked into the House of Reps Clerk Office at 9:45am, waiting to be ushered into the chamber at the commencement of a plenary that began one hour behind schedule (plenary officially begins every Thursday at 10:00am), but a turn of events forced Sanusi to quit the National Assembly complex.

However, in his response to the suspension of the session, Sanusi told reporters outside the complex that “It will be disrespectful to the House to make comments on the decision to suspend the session”, adding that “you will hear me on Monday when I will come to address the House.”

His presence around the Chamber was announced by the Clerk of the House, Mr. Sani Omolori, at 11:00am, more than hour after Sanusi’s arrival.

But Rep. Igochukwu Aguma (PDP/Port Harcourt 1/Rivers), who had earlier demanded the resignation of CBN governor for his “frivolous and misleading allegations,” raised a counter-motion to suspend an earlier motion by the leader of the House, Rep. Tunde Akogun (PDP/Akoko-Edo/Aiyegunle/Edo). Akogun’s motion sought to admit Sanusi in plenary yesterday, Aguma opposed. Aguma’s counter motion was seconded by Rep. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (PDP/Isiukwuato/Abia). Aguma stressed that the Governor’s admission in plenary will be unnecessary, as the House “has more important things to do”. He adviced that a Joint Committee on Appropriations, Finance, Drugs, Narcotics, Economic and Financial Crimes should have him explain how he came about his “facts”, next week Monday in a Committee room.

The Apex Bank Governor had at a convocation held at a university in Benin made the allegations. He was summoned, first by the Senate and on Wednesday, in a marathon session with its Joint Committee on Banking and Currency, Appropriations and Finance and Millennium Development Goals he stuck to his guns, insisting his claim was right.

“I have figures from the Budget Office and overhead is N536.2 billion while NASS overhead is N136, 259, 768, 102 which is exactly 25.41 per cent of Federal Government overheads.

That’s as far as the text is concerned,” he told the Senate, adding that “There’s need to reduce the overheads, to reduce the expenditure, especially in government spending”.

However, in his response to the suspension of the session, Sanusi told reporters outside the complex that “It will be disrespectful to the House to make comments on the decision (to suspend the session)”.

Source: Vanguard Nigeria