30th June, 2014
Delegates attending the ongoing National Conference are to have their lunch monetised following the Muslim period of Ramadan.
The decision, which was taken at plenary on Monday, followed an amendment proposed by the conference chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi (retd).
Kutigi had proposed that a register be opened for those who would skip lunch as a result of Ramadan to enter their names.
He said the essence of the proposal was to allow delegates observing Ramadan to have their lunch monetised.
“We are aware that many of us will be fasting and will not take lunch here. As such, we will open a register so that those who will not take lunch will be paid,” he said.
Senator Sergeant Awuse, a delegate representing River State, called for amendment to the proposal.
He said rather than opening a register, lunch should be completely scrapped and monetised for all delegates.
According to him, this would prevent a situation where those who were not observing Ramadan would take advantage of the opportunity to request for monetisation of their lunch.
“We should scrap lunch completely so that people who are not fasting will not write their names.
“We can do without lunch. We can manage and support those who are fasting by doing without lunch,” he said.
Thereafter, the delegates overwhelmingly agreed that lunch be monetised in the spirit of Ramadan.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that although the proposal was not put to a voice vote by the chairman, the conference proceeded to another item on the agenda.
There was no counter-proposal to that suggestion.