Niger State House of Assembly has stepped the State’s 2022 budget debate following what they described as disrespect for the legislature by the State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello.
The State lawmakers’ grouse was that the governor deliberately omitted the picture of the Assembly Speaker from the budget document presented to the House for legislative debate.
Moving a motion to step down the debate in protest for omission of the Speaker’s picture, Hon. Ahmed Marafa representing Chanchaga State Constituency on urged his colleagues to step down debate.
His motion was seconded by Hon Ahmad Bello representing Agwara State Constituency during Wednesday’s plenary.
Sponsor of the motion insisted that the budget document presented to the House by the State governor showed lack of respect for the legislature and against standard anywhere in the world.
Marafa said that the budget only carried the picture of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello without that of the Speaker, who was the head of the State legislature.
He said, “A lot of members observed while trying to consider the budget that the document only contained photograph of the governor without that of the speaker.
“Courtesy demands that the picture of the Speaker should also appear in the document as part of respect for the legislature.
“By doing so, it shows signs of disrespect to the leadership of this Honourable House,” Marafa noted.
According to them, the Chief of Staff were to the governor hijacked the preparation and printing of the document against Niger State government
printing press legally empowered to produce government documents.
Marafa clarified that the State legislature wasn’t at loggerheads with the Executive as being insinuated in some quarters.
Similarly, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Abdullahi Bawa, said debate on the budget should be stepped down until the “mistake” was corrected.
