Mbu’s Removal: Reps Begin 2014 Budget Consideration Today

The minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila has disclosed that the reps caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been appeased by the removal of police commissioner, John Mbu, who was recently redeployed from Rivers State to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

In response to the removal of the Mbu as the commissioner in the state which was one of the demands of the APC, the minority leader said the coast is now clear for them to consider the money bill. “Now we can debate the so called budget.

As I said earlier, extraordinary and desperate situations call for extraordinary measures. We have been vindicated, the people of Nigeria are the beneficiaries; there is more than one way to skin a cat.

As a party, we have adopted a less attractive but legitimate way when all else failed and it has worked.” Members of the APC in the House of Representatives on Tuesday stalled debate on the 2014 Appropriation Bill, thereby making good its threat to block all legislative business.

 The budget was temporarily abandoned following the point made by a lawmaker, Hon Emma Jime (APC, Benue) who noted that the budget estimates, as presented before the House, breached Section 21 (I,II,III) of the Fiscal Responsibly Act, 2007.

 Legislators in the APC caucus were directed by their national working committee to block the passage of the 2014 budget, including screening of service chiefs till the federal government addresses the crisis in Rivers State, among other demands.

 Gbajabiamila had said in response to the bill blocking directive that, “progressive lawmakers’ are committed to good governance in Nigeria. leadership.ng