President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, reprimanded some recalcitrant members of the National Assembly who booed and jeered him as he presented the 2019 Appropriation Bill.
The presentation of the annual budget was not all marked by booing and jeering.
A sizeable number of the lawmakers who attended the budget presentation, hailed and applauded President Buhari as the ritual of budget presentation to a joint session of the National Assembly proceeded.
Following the intermittent misdemeanor exhibited by the lawmakers, the President cautioned them to be mindful of their behaviour.
“The world is watching us” President Buhari cautioned and added “you are only messing up yourselves.”
Signs that all was not well emerged when the President entered the lobby of the National Assembly to behold lawmakers singing anti-Buhari songs.
While this was going on, some other lawmakers grouped themselves to hail and cheer the president as he made his way into the House of Representatives chamber.
Unease enveloped the entire complex as anti and pro-Buhari elements appeared to have resolved to clash.
Inside the chamber of the House venue of the joint sitting, protest by mostly members of the House welcomed President Buhari.
On sighting President Buhari, some members and their Senators’ allies burst it “freedom comes by struggle, freedom comes by struggle, by struggle, freedom comes,” protest song.
The pro- Buhari House members and senators on the other hand, were observed shouting “sai baba, sai baba.”
The development was demeaning in all ramifications, observers said.
The National Anthem was taken amid the confusion as Senate President, Bukola Saraki, laboured to maintain order and decorum in the tensed chamber.
Saraki continued to hit the gavel to keep the peace to no avail.
The hacking became even more serious when President Buhari told the lawmakers that the details of the Appropriation Bill would be given by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Amina Mohammed.
What followed was “no, no, no”
The president again informed the lawmakers that the economy of the country has substantially recovered; the lawmakers yelled “no, no, no, you are lying.”
President Buhari was then compelled to offer some words of caution saying “the world is watching us.”
Every step the President took was booed and jeered by the irritant hacklers.
When the President said that the Federal Government has made some milestone in its fight against corruption, the lawmakers screamed “no, no, no, grass cutter, grass cutter.”
The sharp division almost marred the presentation of the budget but President Buhari kept his cool, ignoring side comments by the lawmakers.
As President Buhari reeled out the progress made in the water sector, one of the hacklers shouted “lie, lie, lie, it is not true, it’s not correct, propaganda, campaign speech.”
A lawmaker was heard shouting “this is open challenge to the President. It is completely unacceptable.”
Another shouted “some of our colleagues have gone to a ridiculous level to embarrass Mr. President. We should not allow that.”
At a stage, it seemed that some of the antagonists descended to the level of tampering with the microphone to make it impossible to hear the President.
The stage appeared to have been set when Saraki merely introduced President Buhari without backing it up with the normal speech.
When Buhari concluded his presentation, some aggrieved senators and House members prevented the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, from giving his vote of thanks.
On Tuesday, All Progressives Congress (APC) senators met to articulate how to forestall any unpleasant development during the presentation of the budget.
Members of the House of Representatives also held a closed door meeting yesterday to prevail on their members to behave themselves.
The efforts appeared to have yielded nothing.
- The Nation