President
Muhammadu Buhari has revealed when he will act following shocking
revelations and allegations against some NASS members.
President Muhammadu Buhari
The Presidency has said it will be forced to act on the controversy
raging in the House of Representatives over allegations that some
people padded the 2016 budget by inserting unapproved additions to the
national budget on one condition.
The Presidency says it will act if it is referred to it.
It would be recalled that over N42 billion were inserted in the
budget at committee level well after the House had passed the budget
which forced the President Muhammadu Buhari to delay his assent for
nearly three months.
But, last week embattled former chairman of the House Committee on
Appropriation, Abdominal Jibrin made strong allegations against Speaker
Yakubu Dogara which unearthed shocking corruption and bribery going on
in the House.
While speaking to Daily Trust what action the government will soon
take, Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina revealed that the alleged
padding of the budget was a matter within the National Assembly.
He said when the matter was sorted out in the House of
Representatives and referred to the executive, the Presidency would act
on it.
“It is a National Assembly matter, especially the House of
Representatives. When it is sorted out there and referred to the
Presidency that is when the Presidency can do anything about it.
“There is the principle of separation of power,” the presidential spokesman said.
It has also been uncovered that the same infractions that took
place in the House of Representatives also had taken place in the
Senate.
Revealing details to Daily Trust, a senator said: “National
Assembly is one, the Senate is not left out in the padding of the 2016
budget. As you know, the budget was harmonised by the Appropriation
committees of both Chambers".
It was also revealed that both appropriation committees of the
House of Reps and the Senate colluded and inserted similar projects in
the budget.
“Every budget item has to be agreed upon by the two chambers.
All the things buried by the House leaders were also buried by the
Senate. So, they both dug the same holes for those things to be buried
in.
“As a matter of fact, the two appropriation committees worked
together throughout the budget period before they reported back to the
respective chambers for approval.
“Invariably what you have in the House is what you have in the Senate, but that of the Senate may even be worse.
“A minister told me that ... they inserted an intervention
project of N6 billion in his ministry, but when he told them one of the
agencies under his ministry had a similar project, they opened up and
said the project was meant for the them.
“You can remember what Ogbeh said after the budget defence. He
said he saw some strange insertions in his ministry’s budget. That was
done in connivance with the two appropriation committees,” the lawmaker said.
