The Senate warned President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday against illegal spending and advised him to seek a supplementary budget for the Compressed Natural Gas initiative.
The Senate Committee on Gas led by Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe urged the executive to promptly present a 2023 Supplementary Budget to the National Assembly to initiate the Compressed Natural Gas project.
This request came barely 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu announced measures to cushion the pains of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
The lawmakers insisted that the law was against extra-budgetary spending.
The committee’s chairman who commended Tinubu for the CNG initiative, however, warned that it would be illegal to spend taxpayers’ money or the money without approval by the National Assembly, and other projects in the gas value chain.
The senators also advised against extra-budgetary expenditure through Ways and Means,’ saying the legislature was ready to support and bring succor to the people.
Jarigbe commended Tinubu on his CNG revolution to power vehicles.
“The noble initiative would ameliorate the hardship of the citizens. Also, the President needs to come up with a supplementary budget to enable the government to fund the gas value chain, including the provision for CNG infrastructure and CNG vehicles,” He said.
He also stated that the workshops and training for CNG adoption would need to be funded.
“The President should not embark on extra-budgetary expenditure because it would be inconsistent with the provisions of the law.”
Jarigbe stated that the National Assembly, under the leadership of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was poised to support the lofty programs of Tinubu.
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