Budget defence: Senate’s Appropriation Committee chair faults secret sessions

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Jibrin
Barau, on Friday disapproved of holding budget defence sessions in
secret by some committees.

Senator Barau, who gave this indication while answering
questions from Senate correspondents in Abuja, said budget defence
sessions are meant to be conducted in the open and not secret or
closed-door sessions.

He said the committee would not continue with camera sessions
except when dealing with security agencies.

Barau said: “Neither the Senate as a body nor the Appropriation
Committee, coordinating the entire process, gave such a directive
to any committee to hold budget defence sessions in secret with
officials from the executive arm of government.

“I saw the story in the paper today and I’m not happy about it
if actually the method was carried out by the affected
committees.

“I know that such a trend will not continue from next week
because Nigerians, right from the budget defence sessions, are
supposed to know what the parliament and the executive are
preparing or planning for them.

“The budget being discussed or defended by the affected agencies
are, more or less, for Nigerians. The very reason why such
assignment should be carried out in the open with attendance of
journalists who are to report the details of what transpired at
each of the session,” he said.