Senate Awaits 2015 Budget from Jonathan, Assures of Passage before end of 2014

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News, Politics Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

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Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

As the National Assembly awaits submission of the 2015 Appropriation Bill from President Goodluck Jonathan, the senate has said that the Appropriation Bill would be passed into law before the end of 2014.

The assurance was given by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the Tuesday plenary session

EKweremadu in his welcome remarks to senators from the Sallah break announced that in few weeks ahead, the senate would receive the 2015 Appropriation Bill from the President for consideration, adding that the Appropriation would be passed before December this year.\He also assured that the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, and the Constitutional Review Amendment Bill would be given accelerated hearing for passage.

Meanwhile, the senate has passed into law, the Bill establishing the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and mandated the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, to contribute at least two percent of its gross receipts on the university.

Senate also recommended that the university shall offer courses in Petroleum technology provided that overseas courses would be sponsored by the PTDF and other government agencies only in respect of the courses that are not available at the university upon certification.

The Act empowers the university’s authorities to develop and offer academic and professional programmes leading to the award of diplomas, first degrees, post-graduate research and higher degrees with emphasis on planning, adaptive, technical, maintenance, developmental and productive skills in the engineering, scientific, environmental, social and legal and allied professional disciplines relating to petroleum resources.

Also,the Harmonized Conference Report on National Health Bill, 2014 which was recently passed into law by the two chambers of the National Assembly, was adopted by the Senate yesterday even as it called on President Goodluck Jonathan to expedite action in appending his signature on the bill for it to become law.

The report of the Conference Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution was laid by the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN.