Senators yesterday protested the failure of the upper chamber to debate the controversy surrounding the approval of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) for the fight against insurgency in the Northeast and other national security challenges.
The Governors Forum was said to have given President Muhammadu Buhari the nod to withdraw $1 billion from the ECA for the fight against Boko Haram.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu, on Wednesday, drew the attention of the Senate to the controversy trailing the approval.
The Imo East lawmaker, who raised a point of order, prayed his colleagues to give him the opportunity to present a motion on the issue yesterday.
But that was not to be.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu sought to know why the motion on the $1billion Boko Haram fund was not listed in the Order Paper yesterday for discussion as agreed by the chamber.
Ekweremadu referred to the resolution of the Senate to debate the issue yesterday.
“We agreed to look into the approval of $1 billion for the fight against Boko Haram today. We have looked and checked the Order Paper, the matter was not listed for discussion agreed,” Ekweremadu said.
Some other senators murmured that it was curious that the matter was not listed for discussion.
Senate President Bukola Saraki explained that the matter was not listed because Senator Anyanwu, who raised the issue was not in the chamber.
Saraki assured that the issue would be taken in the next legislative day.
The Senate President’s explanation did not go down well with majority of the senators.
Apparently suspecting foul play, the senators erupted in murmuring.
Sensing danger, Saraki took time to reassure his colleagues, saying: “This issue will definitely be discussed because it is an important matter.”
He added for effect, “Our party will not spend any money without following due process”.
The murmuring in the chamber persisted. Saraki simply moved to other matters listed in the Order Paper.