GROSS inconsistencies have been dictated from the details of
the 2016 Appropriation Budget of the country sent to President Mohammadu Buhari
earlier in the week from the National Assembly which is capable of delaying the
presidential assent to the budget which is long overdue.
From our investigation, the budget passed by the National
Assembly was not implementable and could create disharmony and chaos in the
system as it seemingly favoured a particular region of the country against the
other. Furthermore, the budget was anti-people and inconsistent with the
policies of the present administration.
For instance, the two giant railway projects earmarked by the
Federal Government for the two regions (North and South); Lagos-Calabar and
Lagos-Kano railways were inequitably handled by approving one for the north and
scrapped the one for the south. Above all, part of the fund allocated to the
railway was allegedly added to the one in the northern part of the country.
The Presidency had presented a budget which included N80
billion earmarked for Lagos-Calabar railway project and N100billion for the
Lagos-Kano railway project. The lawmakers in exercising its functions scrapped
the former entirely and then took N4o billion budget for the project to add up
the latter (Lagos-Kano railway) bringing the figure to N140 billion.
The remaining N40 billion was then distributed to some
projects located in the north, mainly roads, allegedly located within the
constituencies of the Appropriation Committee
Chairman in the Senate and House of Representatives, Senator Danjuma
Goje and Hon. Abdulmumini Jibrin, respectively.
Secondly, the fund allocated for the provision of drugs and
health facilities in the health sector was ridiculously reallocated for the
purchase of ambulances. Similarly, certain provisions made in the areas of
agriculture and water resources to further the federal government’s
diversification project were either removed or reduced while the funds were
moved to provision of rural health facilities and boreholes for which provision
had been made elsewhere.
Furthermore, in the health sector, the funds proposed by the
President for the purchase of essential drugs for major health campaigns including AIDS, Polio, Cancer, among others
were also removed and the funds budgeted for it reallocated for provision of
ambulances which the ministry did not ask for.
A source at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held
on Friday stated that the President will certainly send back the budget to the
National Assembly adding that the key projects of the present administration
that are aimed at stimulating the economy as well as provide employment
opportunities were removed from the budget, stressing that if assented to, will
create serious crisis in the polity.
“We noticed that some very key aspects of the budget, which
have to do with President Mohammadu Buhari’s core infrastructure focus, were
removed. One of which is the subject of the President’s trip to China- the
Coastal project-for which a counterpart funding was provided, but which was
completely removed by the National Assembly.
“The executive is working on two major rail arteries, among
other rail projects, to service the northern and eastern part of the country-
the Lagos-Kano line and the Calabar –Lagos line. While the Lagos-Kano provision
was left untouched, the Calabar-Lagos line was removed. The projects are to be
funded jointly between the governments of China and Nigeria. It is one of the
main reasons for the President’s scheduled trip to China.
The other fundamental area noticed was in respect of
completion of ongoing road projects. While the executive had provided for the
completion of all major road projects across the country, the National Assembly
reduced the amounts provided and instead included new roads on which studies
have not even been conducted.
“The amounts provided by the National Assembly for the
projects can neither complete the ongoing road projects nor the new ones
proposed. At the end of the year, no significant progress would have been
made”, the source stated.
In addition, the source stated that the President is very
desirous to sign the budget so as to reduce the present economic crisis in the
country.
“The President is desirous of signing the bill into law so
that implementation of the provisions could begin in earnest for the benefit of
the people. That is why the moment he received the document on Thursday, a
meeting was convened for Friday to immediately start work on it”, the source concluded.
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