PDP, APC lawmakers clash over President's continuous fuel subsidy funding

dimeji akinloye

November 19, 2015 8:38 PM

In the budget, the President had voted N413.3bn of the total figure for funding fuel subsidy.

A motorist fills his car's tank with unleaded fuel at a service station in Washington in a file photo. REUTERS/Jason Reed

The House of Representatives on Thursday witnessed another rowdy session as lawmakers disagreed over the continuous funding of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) verbally attacked themselves as they the debated N465.6billion supplementary budget, which was sent to the National Assembly yesterday, Nov. 18, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The House became heated after the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, faulted the subsidy vote, citing the crashed price of crude oil to about $48 per barrel, as a valid reason for Buhari to scrap the subsidy regime.

“We all know that the N413.3bn is huge and we know that the price of oil has also dropped to $48 per barrel.

“How can we be spending N413.3bn on fuel subsidy? The money should be coming down.

“This is the more reason the President should make good his promise to remove fuel subsidy," Ogor said.

In a counter response, Majority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who led the debate, asked Ogor to withdraw his statement that Buhari promised to remove fuel subsidy.

Other PDP members in the House were said to have shouted Gbajabiamila down, screaming "sit down!"

However, unlike in the past, the lawmakers were said to have remained on their seats while the arguments lasted - no throwing of chairs and punches.

dimeji akinloye