The National Assembly had, towards the end of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, sanctioned N22.5 trillion as Ways and Means, but according to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, issues of interest have since raised it to N30 trillion.
At a very busy session that generated disagreements among senators, it was also resolved that all intervention programmes of the Federal Government, including the N10 trillion Anchor Borrowers programme, should be investigated.
During the debate on the report of its committee that interacted with the government’s economic team last week, the upper legislative chamber sought measures to arrest inflationary pressure.
Akpabio disclosed that a panel will soon be set up to undertake the investigation.
But some lawmakers had, during the debate, charged the Red Chamber to pay more attention to the current food challenge and high cost of living.
The immediate past president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, pointed out that although the National Assembly has the right to look at what was done wrong in the past, he was quick to add that the most pressing issue now is food scarcity.
Attempts by Akpabio to play down ongoing protests over high cost of living were rejected by others, who held that the country is in real danger, as hunger, poverty and unemployment escalate.
Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Ali Ndume, was frank in his submission, stating: “Our crises could drown all of us. People are watching us. Our situation is cancerous. The President fortunately is one of us, he was in this Parliament … So, he is looking up to us to offer a solution.”
