SURE-P: Senate Asks Buhari To Probe Jonathan

CITING mismanagement of funds, the Senate, yesterday, asked President
Muhammadu Buhari to begin immediate probe of his predecessor, Dr Goodluck
Jonathan, in his handling of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment
Programme, SURE-P.

The red chamber said it was imperative that President Buhari ask his predecessor to
account for every penny spent during the latter‘s administration on the SURE-P and
other poverty alleviation programmes.
This came just as it ruled against the implementation of the N5,000 monthly
stipend to unemployed Nigerian youths as the President promised during his
campaign.
The advice to probe Jonathan was sequel to an additional prayer moved by Senator
Babajide Christopher Omoworare to Senator Bassey Albert Akpan-sponsored motion,
entitled: “Urgent need to curb the soaring rate of unemployment in Nigeria,” which
he presented for consideration during yesterday’s plenary.
After the initial recommendations of the motion, Senator Philip Aduda raised an
additional prayer, urging the Federal Government to fulfill one of its numerous
campaign promises.
“The Federal Government should immediately commence the payment of the
N5,000 monthly stipend it promised during the pre-election campaign,” Aduda
moved.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, rose and seconded the
additional prayer. But Omoworare raised the Senate Standing Order 53(6) to oppose
the additional prayer.
Bickering between APC, PDP
This led to bickering between senators of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC
and opposition Peoples Democratic, PDP.
The Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, however, intervened, after
about 22 minutes to bring the bickering to an end.
Saraki asked Aduda to repeat his additional prayer, which he latter did.
When Saraki put the additional prayer to voice vote, the shout of ‘ayes’ from the
opposition senators signifying their call for strict implementation of the President’s
campaign promise was overwhelming but the Senate President, however, hit his
gavel for the ‘nay’ shout from the ruling party senators, who were against the
implementation of the policy.
The Senate President, thereafter, gave Omoworare the privilege of raising another
additional prayer.
Moves to probe Jonathan
“I want to move that the immediate past government be made to account for every
penny spent on SURE-P and other poverty alleviation programmes, and I so move,
Mr. President,” Omoworare said.
When Saraki put the question to voice vote, the ayes response came from the APC
senators, but the PDP senators kept mute to the nay call.
In the motion, Akpan observed that the latest figures of Nigeria’s soaring
unemployment situation by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC) has increased to
8.2 percent in the second quarter of 2015 from 7.5 percent in the first quarter of
2015 and 6.4 percent in the last quarter of 2014.
“The latest statistics as released by the bureau reveals that economically active
population, or working age comprising Nigerians within the age range of 15 to 64, is
now 103.5 million, increasing from 102.8 million in the last quarter of 2015, while
the unemployed labour force now stands at 74 million Nigerian youths. This is truly
a calamity,” he noted.