The Senate yesterday said it never? at any time barred President Goodluck Jonathan from drawing from the 2011 Budget beyond December 31.
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It Instead said it had rather empowered the President to extend the spending to March 31, 2012.
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Chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Rules, Senator Ita Enang, was quoted by some newspapers to have said that the 2011 budget would expire on December 31.
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Enang was reported to have said that the process to empower the President to draw from the budget up to March 31, 2012, has not been completed.
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But spokesman of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, in a reaction yesterday said that Senator Enang was on his own, adding that “the executive wanted the extension and we gave them.”
He said the two chambers had earlier agreed to allow the president to extend the budget to March 31, 2012.
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Also, the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba,in a separate reaction, said: “Those must be the personal views of Senator Enang because you can recall that the House of Representatives passed the new timeline and we concurred.
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“You would also recall that in the course of the consideration of the virement, there was a joint resolution of both houses that the lifespan of this budget should be extended to March 31 and beyond that, both houses have concurred.
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“So, there is no basis for Enang’s comments on the status of the budget…”
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But Enang, in a reaction yesterday insisted that he was misquoted, saying he was aware of the said agreement to extend the life-span of the 2011 budget and therefore could not have said anything to the contrary.
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