The leadership of the National Assembly has called on the Federal Government to ensure equitable distribution of its various interventions as palliatives to cushion the effect of Coronavirus across the country.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan made the call at a consultative meeting with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and other key drivers of the Nigerian economy on Wednesday.
The meeting was in continuation of engagements with the Minister as the Federal Government plans to adjust the 2020 budget to now include a N500 billion Coronavirus stimulus package.
The meeting had also become necessary with Lawan emphasising the need to effectively streamline all the proposed interventions by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
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“In our stimulus package, we need to make provisions that will streamline with existing interventions in the N500 billion stimulus package”.
Lawan said “while this is a good proposal we need to ensure we don’t duplicate what is already in the budget”.
The Senate President however noted that the National Assembly will through its oversight function ensure that the N500 billion even though small is effectively utilised if eventually passed.
“This interventions are very clear on target and we shouldn’t just throw money away without seeing anything”.
“Of course the National Assembly will ensure proper monitoring of the fund”, he said.
But even more imperative for Lawan was the need to ensure the palliatives are equitably shared to the right people in all the states whether affected or not.
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Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila on his part said in providing stimulus, the Federal Government can reach more people and households by paying for their electricity tariffs for the next 2 months.
Gbajabiamila said the “free electricity” will come as a great relief to many citizens during the period of lockdown; pointing out that Nigeria’s neighbour, Ghana had come up with similar stimulus package for its citizens.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Silva, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mela Kyari.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
