By Henry Umoru

STRONG indications emerged that the controversy surrounding the 2016 Appropriation Bill would be put to rest on Monday as members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations were having marathon meetings since Thursday. As part of moves to end the quagmire, the Committee on Friday entered into another round of meeting, with a vow to produce a clean copy on Monday, afterwhich the report would be presented on Tuesday and deliberated on by the Senators for onward passage to President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday for assent.

Friday meeting of the Appropriation Committee members entered into the night as they were desirous to conclude amendment to the document.

File: Buhari during the 2016 budget presentation to the National Assembly.

When Saturday Vanguard sought to know from a member of the Appropriation Committee on Friday evening how far the Committee had gone with the budget, the Senator in a text message simply said, “we are on now, it is going on. We shall work all night to produce the clean copy.”

A source also told Saturday Vanguard that it was agreed that all the insertions in the budget that were not contained in the main budget document from the executive  including constituency projects would be removed from the budget completely to guide against any other friction between the legislature and the executive.

According to the source, it was also agreed that all the grey areas pointed out by the president will be removed by the committee, while the Lagos-Calabar railway project that had generated controversy will be accommodated with the alleged excess funds discovered in the Ministry of Transport budget which were converted to constituency projects, all in the interest of Nigerians.

The source explained that the National Assembly decided to accommodate the Lagos/Calabar railway project which was not in the original budget for the sake of peace, adding that the rail project was discussed at the committee stage when it was brought.

It was also gathered that at the meeting of the Appropriation Committee, the Chairman, Senator Danjuma Goje was under serious attack, just as the Senators accused him of sidelining them during the appropriation process.

It will be recalled that as part of the reconciliation process between the National Assembly and the Presidency, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yussuf Lasun was mandated to lead a 10-man National Assembly Committee to interface with another 5-man committee from the executive.

The Lasun led Committee has been saddled with among others, the responsibility of harmonizing all the grey areas pointed out by the Presidency with regard to the 2016 budget. The 15-man committee which has five members of the House of Representatives and five members from the senate as well as five members from the executive will round off  its assignment this week.

But from all indications, members would complete work on the assignment by this weekend.

A source told Saturday Vanguard that first time Senators under the aegis of G-77 have also intervened that the 2016 Budget logjam be laid to rest

It will be recalled that G77 had met on Tuesday and resolved to do everything  possible to end the disagreement by Friday.

Rising from a meeting held in hearing room 1, Senate complex, the senators pledged to support President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that he delivers dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

Addressing Journalists after the meeting, Coordinator of the group and Senate Minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, PDP, Akwa Ibom North West disclosed that the group was formed to help strengthen democracy as well as ensure that there was good governance.

Saturday Vanguard had reported exclusively last Saturday of the formation of the G77with its maiden meeting last week Thursday  to among others, help protect the new senators, pave ways for them to work together and deepen democracy.