Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing the Lagos Central Senatorial District, yesterday reminded the Senate that the manifesto of Change of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) promised an inclusive government with the women well represented.

Contributing to the debate on the 2016 Budget proposal, during plenary, she lamented that “the Ministry for Women Affairs, in the 2016 Budget proposal, has the least allocation with no provision for Women Development Projects and issue of Maternal Health.”

On Internally Displaced Women, Mrs. Tinubu pointed out that “they were only used for elections and now they have been abandoned. If the government does not do anything about them soon, it will incur the wrath of the women.”

She insisted that “the change that was expected is not the change that is being experienced now,” charging the Committee on Appropriation to look into the budget issue critically and come out with good result on the issue of women.

Sen Mustapha Abubakar, representing Katsina North, while contributing to the debate, sought for the unalloyed support of his colleagues on the Budget and the TSA, saying “it will go a long way to curb leakages.”

In his conclusion, he urged all government parastatals to be on a database for salaries and all other expenditures.

Senator representing Taraba South Senatorial District, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, who emphasised on giving agriculture a serious attention, noted that “farmers don’t understand the language of Change mantra. What they understand is fertiliser, tractors, and financial support.

He reiterated that Nigeria's resources in both the hands of APC and PDP are enough to industrialise Nigeria, adding that it is not passing the Budget that matters, implementation of the Budget is key.”

Senator Tayo Alasoadura of Ondo Central identified the budget as the one for the poor, adding that the issue of low oil prices is a blessing in disguise as it is about time the country diversified to other revenue sources. In his words: “it is time to focus on revenue sources such as gas, the recent N50 charge by Central Bank of Nigeria, and tax on text messages.”

He however lamented that his home state, Ondo, has vast yet untapped bitumen deposits which can be a great source of revenue, demanding that “we must revamp our Power. Money released via SURE-P must be recovered.”

•Photo shows Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

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