For the second year running, there may be a delay in the passage of the Appropriation bill. The crux of the matter this time round is the little matter of a spat between The Nigeria Police Force and Senator Danjuma Goje, Chairman Joint Committee on Appropriations. The Senate had said the Police high command had invaded the home of Senator Goje and forcefully taken away vital documents including laptops on which documents that have to do with the 2017 Appropriation bill were contained. In fact, in the words of the Senator, his house was raided and his personal effects were stolen, and part of the documents stolen was the National budget.
To all intent and purpose, the ugly development tilt towards an attempt to delay the passage of the budget this year. Invariably, this development, the spat between the Police and the Senate, if not halted will affect very negatively the execution of major programmes contained in the 2017 budget that are expected to improve the lot of Nigerians. Already, the Senate having listened to the protest presentation of Senator Goje, have asked the police to tender a public apology to the National Assembly for causing them an embarrassment and should immediately return the “stolen documents” is in their custody. In his comment, Senate President Bukola Saraki disclosed that the force has confirmed to its committee on Police Affairs that it was misled by a whistle blower. This is where the matter gets more interesting. If the police would rely on a false information to raid the house of a Senator in whose custody a most significant document of the Senate is, it goes to show that the police authorities were tardy in their investigation.
However, what is of importance is that the country should not be held to ransom in 2017 because of a “whistle-blower’s attempt to reap a five percent of an unfounded loot”.
In the interest of the citizenry, the 2017 Appropriation budget should not become a subject of blackmail between the Police and The National Assembly.
