Special Federal Grants for Lagos State Bill by Tinubu thrown-out...Uproar unleashed in Senate

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was left in disarray after a bill sponsored by her,which sought to establish an Act to make provisions for Federal Grants to Lagos State was thrown-out, causing uproar amongst members of the Senate.While the bill was highly supported by South- West senators, those from the North, South-East and South-South rejected the bill, pointing out that it would give undue advantage to Lagos as well as set a dangerous precedence in the system.As the situation tended to get out of hand, Ekweremadu decided to stop further debate on the bill and went on to put the bill to a voice vote.He did it three times and it was rejected three times and accordingly, the bill was rejected. In the course of the debate, the bill suffered serious partisan considerations from the lawmakers, splitting the Senate along geo-political divides.The uproar was triggered by uncomplimentary comments made by the Senate Chief Whip, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, when in the course of his contribution to the debate; he described the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a “rotten pampered child.”His comments irked many senators and generated mild commotion in the chamber. Adeyeye’s comment particularly provoked deep anger in Senator Philip Aduda (FCT), forcing the Chief Whip to withdraw the statement.But the withdrawal did not douse the tension, which had degenerated into a shouting match among the senators.