FCT, Abuja – There was rowdiness at the house of representatives on Wednesday, July 31, over the ways and means bill.
As reported by The Guardian, the debate among the federal lawmakers centred on a bill seeking to raise the ways and means of cash advances from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from five per cent to 10 per cent.
‘Ways and means’ in the Nigerian context occur when the federal government obtains loans from the CBN.
In February, senators lamented that the ways and means approved by the 9th national assembly plunged the nation into economic crisis and indebtedness. Presently, Nigerians are grappling with deteriorating living standards and increased economic hardships and some of them have threatened to protest, starting Thursday, August 1.
During plenary on Wednesday, July 31, opposition party members staged a walkout after an amendment by Kingsley Chinda, the minority leader, that the ways and means be reduced to two percent was rejected, The Cable noted.
Lawmakers who voted in support of the increase from five to 10 per cent included Abubakar Yalleman (All Progressives Congress, APC, Jigawa), Saidu Abdullahi (APC, Niger), and Ibrahim Wase (APC, Plateau), among others.
When the bill was put to a voice vote by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, who presided over the plenary session, lawmakers voted against the proposed percentage.
However, Kalu ruled in favour of the ayes, prompting a walkout by opposition lawmakers.
Watch the discourse on the ways and means below:
Earlier, TimesNow.com.ng reported that the deputy spokesman of the house of representatives, Philip Agbese, accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of orchestrating efforts to undermine the Dangote Refinery.
Agbese refuted claims that the Dangote Refinery is involved in reselling crude oil shipments.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
