Fresh trouble in Reps over oil benchmark price

The Speaker on Wednesday named the Chairman of the House committee on finance, Abdulmunini Jibrin (PDP, Kano) as head of the conference committee. Other members include chairman, loan and debts committee, Adeyinka Ajayi (APC, Osun), Daniel Reyenieju ( Rivers), Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, Abdurrahman Terraf (APC, Borno) and Forte Dike (PDP, Anambra).

But citing violation of his privileges, Okwu who represents Oju/Obi Federal Constituency of BENUE state, yesterday raised objection to the membership of the committee drawn by the Speaker on the grounds that the parliament had rejected the MTEF report earlier submitted to it by the same committee that was set up to look the framework.

The lawmaker drew his colleague’s attention to the House’ earlier decision which was predicated on the inability of the two chambers to agree on a common benchmark for the oil price. He argued that there was therefore the need for the House to change the entire membership of the team to meet with their Senate counterpart during the rescheduled conference committee.

“The leadership of the committee had rejected and disassociated itself from the report of the committee and voted against it. Today, the same persons have again been nominated to go into a conference committee with the Senate, what will be the outcome of the outcome? He queried.

However, the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha who presided over the session on Wednesday noted the observations brought on the matter but declined to uphold the objections raised by the member.

Fielding questions on the matter after the session, the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Victor Ogene told newsmen that the six-man membership of the House is going into the conference committee with its Senate counterpart with a fresh mandate.

He said the Leadership of the House still had 100 percent confidence in the conference committee members.

It will be recalled that the House of Representatives had adopted $79 as benchmark for oil price, while the Senate approved $76.5.

Sequel to the alleged failure of both chambers to agree on a common price, President Goodluck Jonathan had shelved the presentation of the 2014 budget proposal insisting that he could only do that when there is a consensus.

In a letter to Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the president noted that  “whereas the Senate has approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) based on the benchmark of $76.5 per barrel, the Honourable House of Representatives has used a benchmark of $79 per barrel, it is infeasible for me to present the budget in absence of harmonized position on MTEF.

“In the circumstance, it has become necessary to defer the presentation of the 2014 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly until such a time when both respective chambers would have harmonized their position on MTEF. It is my hope that this will be in the shortest possible time”. It could be recalled that President Jonathan quoted the difference in price adoption by the two chambers as the reason for his inability to present the 2014 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly.

The president cited the differences of the two chambers in a letter after his failure to appear for the budget presentation last week, as the sole reason of his inability to present the 2014 budget proposal to the National Assembly.

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