Daily Trust (Abuja)
Abdul-Rahman Abubakar and Turaki A. Hassan
3 July 2009
The senate on Wednesday approved the sum of N22.4 billion naira virement out of the 2009 budget of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to finance the construction of additional lanes on each carriage way of the Outer Northern Express Way (ONEX) in Abuja.
The fund is also to finance the construction of two fly-over bridges and the rehabilitation of the Abuja airport road fly-over. But Senators expressed stiff opposition to the virement arguing that monies meant for important sectors such as health and education should not be used to construct roads while neglecting the human capital development.
Senator Lee Maeba (PDP, Rivers) said, we should be very careful with this virement. We should not be forced into approving contract that we don't know about how can we allocate money for it? What is the contract sum? What are the terms of the contract? I am seeing something in this . this is leading us to somewhere."
However, Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi West) who is a member of the Senate Committee on FCT argued to the contrary saying, "we deliberated on the virement for more than three hours. It is done in good faith. We look at quite a number things into consideration and time is not on our side as a government."
After a heated debate, the Senate President David Mark put the question twice but there was no clear answer before he could rule that "the yes have it"
Briefing newsmen shortly after the plenary sitting, vice chairman Senate Committee on Information and Media Senator Anthony Manzo (PDP, Taraba) said, "development is wide spear and human and infrastructure .The believe is that some of the funds captured in the health and education budget of the FCT cannot be utilized from now to the end of the year. If you build road you are also contributing to all the sectors."
Senate however reduced the proposed sum from N26 billion to N22.4 billion.
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