Senate rejects motion seeking prayers for Yar’Adua

By Emmanuel Ogala
December 2, 2009 02:39AMT


The Senate on Tuesday refused to take a motion that would have called for a national prayer session over the health of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

The rejected motion was to be brought by Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP Cross River State) as a matter of urgent national importance. According to the standing rules of the senate (42 & 52), it could suspend every other business at a plenary to enable a senator make a verbal presentation of a motion on an issue that is urgent and of national importance. However, such motions are only heard if majority of the sitting senators like the preamble of the motion.

One prayer’s enough

In the case of Mr. Ndoma-Egba’s aborted motion, a majority of the sitting senators did not like the motion despite listening to its preamble and explanations from the senate president on its merits. An overwhelming majority of the sitting senators, through a voice vote taken twice, rejected the application.

The senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze (PDP Enugu State), told reporters after the plenary session that the motion was rejected because it was superfluous. He said that the senate president, who is the chief spokesman of the senate, had already called for prayers for Mr. President not quite 24 earlier.

“How do we now turn round to waste time that we would have invested in the budget on talking about something that has already been settled? That was why our colleagues thought it was an ordinary waste of time,” Mr. Eze said.

The senate president, David Mark (PDP Benue State), had called for nine days of prayers over the president’s failing health on Monday when he met with members of Knight of St. Mulumba of the Apo Mansion Chapel, Apo quarters, Abuja.

Mr. Ndoma-Egba’s motion would have been the first institutional call for prayers over the health of Mr. Yar’Adua since he was admitted in a Saudi Arabia hospital for acute pericarditis on Monday last week.

Other important matters

After the negative vote on Mr. Ndoma-Egba’s motion, the senate went ahead to conclude discussions on the general principles of the 2010 budget proposal, which it started on Wednesday last week.

Senators who were unable to bare their opinions on the policy thrust of the budget during the discussion last Wednesday were serially called by the senate president to speak.

A major difference which most of the senators advocated in the bill was the increase of the bench mark for the price of crude oil from the proposed $57 to$62. This, the senators argued, will minimise the operation of the unconstitutional excess crude account and provide more money that will be used to fund the capital projects proposed in 2010 budget.

In the end, the 2010 budget proposal passed its second reading in the senate with a promise to pass it speedily. The bill was referred to the committee on appropriation with a mandate to study it within two weeks and report back to the senate.

Last year, the senate speedily passed the 2009 budget proposal just the way it was sent by the president, without making amendments – a procedure infamously known as “bow and go”.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5489968-146/Senate_rejects_motion_seeking_prayers_for.csp

. . .Osuofia don enter London!

And we poor souls have been praying for good government.

Passing a four page powerpoint as 2010 budget was not the height of uselessnes; no, that crown easily goes to Honourable Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP Cross River State). Wonderful!

Beaf:

. . .Osuofia don enter London!

And we poor souls have been praying for good government.

Passing a four page powerpoint as 2010 budget was not the height of uselessnes; no, that crown easily goes to Honourable Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP Cross River State). Wonderful!

e be like say, una no understand how senate dey work for naija at all. de real hero here na ndoma-egba. de motion wey ndoma-egba tried to pass for force de senate to debate de health of de president - with far reaching implications.

david mark quickly maneuvered to quench de motion since dat kind debate go almost eliminate david mark's secret wish to take over from yar'adua.

^
Hmmm. I see your point.