The Senate has given Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government two weeks to appear before the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts to defend President Muhammadu Buhari’s loan request presently before the National Assembly.
The call on MDAs to appear before the panel was made by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, following a point of order raised on the floor by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia (PDP – Edo Central).
Coming under Order 43 of the Senate Rules, Ordia bemoaned the failure of relevant MDAs to appear before the Committee to defend the proposed allocation of monies for projects under their supervision and captured in President Buhari’s loan request.
The MDAs yet to appear, according to the lawmaker, include: The Federal Ministries of Education, Power, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Water Resources, Communication and Digital Economy, Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Agriculture.
The Senate President said: “Because you have come under order 43 on personal explanation, this is not open to debate. But let me advise that this Senate is committed to ensuring that such important issue like the foreign loan request of the executive needs to be taken with seriousness by both sides (the Executive and Legislature).
“The Senate is making every possible effort that we understand why the request, therefore, we need details, we need information so that we take the appropriate decision as quickly as possible.”
