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•Saraki reshuffles committee chairs
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Ministers are soon to face the Senate to give accounts of stewardship on the implementation of the 2017 budget.
This was made known yesterday by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, while reading a prepaid speech to welcome his colleagues from a two-month break.
He said chairmen of all the standing committees were mandated to up their game and carryout effective oversight functions of MDAs, to ensure that the 2017 budget was fully implemented.
He said: “By the first week of October, we expect to begin the review of the implementation of the 2017 budget. To set the stage for this, we expect to invite the ministers of Finance and Budget Planning to come and brief the Senate on implementation so far.
“Nigerians want to see a more significant improvement in the level of implementation of the budget this financial year.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on all our standing committees to begin the process of putting together their oversight plans for a close and proper review of the performance of the 2017 Budget.
“I will like to see the committees demonstrate proactivity and readiness to engage government to ensure that at least a significant portion of our annual budget is fully dedicated to local procurement.
“All committees of the Senate must be involved in this and find better channels to engage our people and enable feedbacks.
“In the fight against corruption, aside the bills we have passed, it is important that we also sharpen up our oversight tools to ensure that government remains accountable always.
“I urge us all to more than ever, operate above board ourselves.
“In the last two years, we have successfully exposed numerous cases of corruption in our agencies and officers of government and as a result saved government enormous amount of public resources.”
Saraki also announced the reshuffling of chairmen and deputies of some standing committees in the upper chamber.
He said the move was to strengthen the institution of the Senate and ensure that proper oversight functions are carried out.
According to him, Committee on Trade and Investment is to be headed by Sabo Mohammed. Interior Committee, Andy Uba; while Public Accounts is headed by Matthew Urhoghide.
Culture and Tourism, Raji Razaki and Local Content chairman is Adeola Olamilekan. Cooperation and Integration, Stella Oduah, while Capital Market Development is Bukar Mustapha.
Others are Mohammed Sani, vice chairman, Committee on Trade and Investment; Ademola Adeleke, vice chairman, Committee on Communications; Godswill Akpabio, vice chairman, Committee on Local Content; and Babajide Omoworare, vice chairman, Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The last reshuffling was in July, 2017, when Kabir Marafa became the chairman of the Petroleum Resources Committee (Downstream) and Oluremi Tinubu, was moved from Women Affairs Committee to the Committee on the Environment among other changes.
