<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sunday Aborisade, Abuja<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Senate on Wednesday\napproved the N10bn loan refund for Kogi State despite stiff resistance from the\nopposition senators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No sooner had the\nChairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans, Senator Clifford\nOrdia, laid the report of his panel on the issue at plenary than the Senate\nPresident called for the debate on it immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attempts by the Minority\nLeader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, to stop the process because it was not indicated in\nthe order paper, was frustrated by Lawan, who insisted that the arrangement was\nin order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ordia, who read the\nreport of his committee said necessary findings conducted by his panel showed\nthat due process was followed by the Kogi State government in executing Federal\nGovernment projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said the Federal\nGovernment agencies in charge of the loan refund had approved the payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Jibrin Barau,\nwho spoke immediately after the presentation of the bill, asked his colleagues\nto approve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Abaribe, in his\ncontribution, said he agreed with Barau that states that had done the job of\nthe Federal Government should be paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He, however, said that\nthe approval appeared too hasty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abaribe said since the\nKogi Governorship elections would hold on Saturday, the approval should be\ndelayed for one week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said, \u201cThis is not\nthe right time to approve such loan refund. Exigency of the time suggest that\nwe should delay for one week so that the money would not be used for something\nelse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawan disagreed with\nAbaribe and said there was no time that the red chamber cannot approve the\npayment of the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawan subjected the\nmatter to a voice vote and ruled in favor of those who supported its approval\ndespite protests from lawmakers who were raising points of order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the protesters,\nSenator Uche Ekwunife, wondered why the Senate President refused to take her\npoint of order before ruling on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Muhammadu\nBuhari had on penultimate Tuesday, sent a letter to the Senate, seeking its\napproval for the payment of N10bn to Kogi State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buhari, in the letter,\naddressed to Senate President, said the money would be used by the state\ngovernment to settle local debts it incurred as a result of the projects\nexecuted on behalf of the Federal Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buhari said his request\nwas based on the resolution passed by the 8th Senate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sunday Aborisade, Abuja The Senate on Wednesday approved the N10bn loan refund for Kogi State despite stiff resistance from the opposition senators. No sooner had the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans, Senator Clifford Ordia, laid the report of his panel on the issue at plenary than the Senate President called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[14,10],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n