The request sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari for approval of a $75 million loan request by Edo State may be running into turbulent waters, as protesters, on Wednesday, stormed the National Assembly, urging legislators not to approve the request by the Edo State government.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 written to the National Assembly seeking the approval of the loan being the second tranche of the $ 225 million World Bank granted the Edo State government under the 2012-2014 external borrowings.
The protesters displayed placards at the main entrance of the National Assembly, with some of the placards reading: “Don’t approve the loan”, ” We don’t want loan” and ” We want action”.
They stormed the assembly at about 10.a.m. when Senators were going in for the day’s legislative duties.
In the same vein, the Senate, on Wednesday, referred the request to its Standing Committee on Local and Foreign Debts.
The motion for the loan request was moved by the Senate leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, and it was seconded by Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda of the FCT.
Ruling on the motion, the Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, granted Ndume’s request and referred it to the committee on debts.
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