…Approves NCC’s N61.3bn budget
BEVERLY HILLS, CA, November 20, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Wednesday approved President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to extend the emergency rule in three Northeast States of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. The Senate had approved the request about two weeks ago.
The approval for extension by six months, which came 15 days, after Jonathan made the request through a letter to Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, on November 5, came after a closed door meeting with the nation’s service chiefs.
It would be recalled that the House had earlier summoned the service chiefs, but the meeting was delayed till Wednesday, as the service chiefs were said to have been officially engaged outside Abuja.
When the House resumed on Wednesday for plenary, it resorted into an executive session to enable the service chief’s brief lawmakers on the current security status in the affected areas. It was at the meeting that lasted for over two hours that the decision to approve the emergency extension request was taken.
The speaker observed after the meeting that it was necessary to grant the request of the President, having heard from the service chiefs the situation report in the troubled zone.
In adopting the declaration of the Speaker, House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola, said: “Recognising the efforts so far made by security agencies deployed to the affected areas in curtailing the activities of insurgents and some security challenges that still exist in some parts of the affected areas… recall that the Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs had briefed the House on the state of security in the affected states, the House of Representatives approved the extension of the proclamation of a state of emergency as contained in the Emergency Power (General) Regulations, 2013 effective in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States to remain for a further period of six months in accordance with the terms, conditions, content and context as earlier passed by the House of Representatives,” she said.
Meanwhile, the House Wednesday adopted the report of its committee on Communication on a bill for an act to authorise the issue from Statutory Revenue Fund (SRF) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) the total sum of N61,323,022,000 only for the year ending on December 31 .
From the above sum, the sum of N14,667,445,000 only is for recurrent expenditure, while the sum of N7,311,474,000 only is for transfer to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The sum of N10,521,740,000 only was for transfer to Universal Service Fund (USF). N5,470,185,000 is for transfer from reserves, while the balance of N19,317,457,000 only is for the capital and special projects.
Saint Mugaga, Abuja
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