Buhari Meets Saraki In Aso Rock, NEC Silent On Revenue Sharing Crisis
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Saraki arrived the Villa at about 6:02 p.m. and proceeded straight for a closed-door meeting. No official reason was given for the meeting.
On arrival, governors of Kebbi, Ogun, Zamfara and the governor-elect of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who had emerged from a separate meeting with the President, joined the Senate President and the President.
It was learnt that the meeting between the two leaders may not be unconnected with the recent budget request of N242.4 billion for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the conduct of 2019 general elections, a request that had ignited a fresh crisis between the executive and the legislative arms.
Buhari, in the letter to the Senate, said the funds would be sourced through virement from the 2018 budget.
Meanwhile, Osinbajo and governors of the 36 states of the federation yesterday failed to deliberate on the ongoing crisis in the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) over the disbursement of revenues to the three tiers of government for the month of May.
Osinbajo presided over the National Executive Council (NEC), which met again yesterday in the Villa to discuss issues of critical national importance.
But the committee, which had met thrice, failed to approve available funds for sharing due to alleged revenue underpayment by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, while briefing State House Correspondents after the NEC meeting, said the FAAC revenue sharing crisis did not feature on the agenda of NEC.
The NEC meeting was attended by the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru.
Abubakar, who was joined at the briefing by the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Moses Adeyemo and Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Oluyemi Dipeolu, said the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, briefed the Council on the prison decongestion and the cases of condemned convicts nationwide.
He said the presentation sought the Council’s attention on the need to address the challenges associated with the cases of condemned convicts in prisons nationwide.
Meanwhile, the council has backed the recommendation for setting up of federal project co-ordinating unit on flood prevention, mitigation and preparedness programme.
Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano said the Minister of State for Environment, Usman Jibril, briefed the Council urging collaborative partnership between the Federal Government and state governments against flooding and other erosion disasters in the country.
He said: “The presentation informed the Council on the imminent onset of this year’s flood season and the need for collaborative partnership between the Federal ¬and state governments with the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation (PCFRR) for immediate intervention on flood prevention, mitigation and preparedness in the country.”
