Don’t Politicise Senate Rejection Of $29.9bn Loan Request-Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki has dismissed the insinuation that government’s $29.9 billion borrowing request suffered setback in the Senate due to politics.

Saraki, who spoke to State House correspondents Friday after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, warned against politicisation of the Senate’s rejection of the request for approval to borrow the money for infrastructure development.

“I just had a general felicitation with the President. It did not go beyond that. We should not look at that (the loan request) as a reflection of the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

“Don’t let us politicise very important issues. As we said, this is work in progress, nothing to worry about,’’ he said.

The Senate last week voted against President Buhari’s request for the $29.96 billion foreign loan due to technical issues.

The Senate President had earlier joined President Buhari and hundreds of other Muslim faithfuls in performing the 2-Raka’at Juma’at (Friday) prayer, at the State House Mosque.

NAN also recalled that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, said the executive would continue to engage the Senate on the benefits of the borrowing plan.

He expressed optimism that at the end of the day, the lawmakers would see reason and approve the President’s request.

“It is not unusual for the government and the Senate to have some disagreements; they (senators) want more information.

We will continue to engage them. We will give them all the information they need.

“We are sure that by the time we finish, they will approve the request,’’ he said.

 

(NAN)