2011 Election: Senate Pass INEC Budget with Reservations - N87 billion Naira

The senate has approved N87,721,961,531 (eighty seven billion, seven hundred and twenty one million, nine hundred and sixty one thousand, five hundred and thirty one naira) requested by the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] for the 2011 general elections.

Senate President, Senator David Mark said that despite misgivings from senators on the request by the electoral body, the upper legislative house approved the fund to ensure free and fair elections in 2011.

He explained that the budget was approved by the senate to avoid being blamed for hitches in the general elections; senators also charged the leadership of the commission to justify the confidence reposed in it by the passage of the bill.

The reduction is N1.897billion short of the N89, 592,874,171 presented by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The chairman of the senate committee on appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore who led the debate explained that the fund requested by INEC to conduct the elections will be sourced through government bonds in the sum of N87, 721,961,531 out of which N25, 810,441,531 is for additional recurrent (non-debt) expenditure while the balance of N61, 911,520,000 is for contribution to the development fund for additional capital expenditure for year 2010.

"We propose to fund this request by raising federal government bonds," President Goodluck Jonathan said in a submission to the Senate which was approved by lawmakers.

Senator Iyiola Omisore on presenting the budget said the committee recommended the passage of the Bill because "we are all aware of the mood of the nation in respect of the proper funding of the INEC and the necessary tools it requires to ensure that the 2011 elections are free, fair and credible."

Many senators were initially opposed to slashing some of the provisions in the budget, a three hour executive session which preceded the deliberations helped to douse the opposition that would have trailed its passage.

Senate President, David Mark, said the Senate had bent over backward to ensure that the request from the President for the budget of INEC was passed to guarantee a free and fair election.

He said: "We have done this with the hope that INEC will conduct a credible, free and fair election that would be the pride of Nigerians and would make the country proud in the comity of nations."

Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who spoke shortly before the bill was read for the third time told the commission that every Nigerian expected that having been given all it needed to prepare a credible voters register, the commission cannot afford to let the country down.

Deputy Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said though members of the Senate had reservations about the figures being passed as they did not have the time to closely scrutinise them, "we do not want to be made scapegoats by the Nigerian people" who may blame any problem in the conduct of the election on the National Assembly.

Senator Anyim Ude said the Senate was being held to ransom but "we have no option but to pass the budget with the hope that the committee on INEC would carry out a thorough oversight function to ensure that the money is deployed for their purpose."

Out of the amount, N25,810,441,531 (twenty five billion, eight hundred and ten million, four hundred and forty one thousand, five hundred and thirty one naira) is for additional recurrent expenditure while the balance of N61,911,520,000 (sixty one billion, nine hundred and eleven million, five hundred and twenty thousand naira) only is for contribution to the development fund for additional capital expenditure.

So ,what is the noise and the dust they were raising about the budget demand being bogus?.

Orhhh!