*Lagos-Calabar N60 billion coastal railway removed
*Idu-Kaduna rail line cut by N8.7 billion
*Major federal roads slashed
*Polio eradication, essential drugs for HIV/AIDS expunged
*Agric/water resources re-allocated to constituency projects.
*Polio eradication, essential drugs for HIV/AIDS expunged
*Agric/water resources re-allocated to constituency projects.
President Muhammadu Buhari appears set to return the 2016 Budget to the National Assembly to rework because what the lawmakers sent to him on Thursday for assent, according to Presidency sources, fell below his expectations.
By implication, Buhari will not sign the Appropriation Bill into law, as earlier planned, before jetting out of the country this weekend to China for economic and business deals for Nigeria.
The sources confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that the President felt disappointed that provisions for major national projects and programmes that could turn around the economy were either outrightly removed or funds for them ridiculously slashed by the lawmakers.
It will be recalled that, in a bid to urgently assent to the bill, which was transmitted to him on Thursday, the Presidency had convened an emergency Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Friday where the document was distributed to Ministers to review as it affected their respective ministries, departments and agencies.
At the review meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is the Head of the Economic Team, it was discovered that many strategic projects were either removed or provisions made for them significantly slashed to the point that made a mockery of the projects.
Among the key projects removed from the budget by the lawmakers are the all-important Calabar-Lagos coastal rail line for which Buhari had made a provision of N60 billion in the 2016 estimates.
Incidentally, the railway project is one of the key issues taking Buhari to China.
While that was removed, the lawmakers left the Kano/Lagos railway project untouched but also went ahead to reduce the amount set aside for the completion of the Idu/Kaduna railway project, which has reached an advanced stage of completion, by N8.7 billion.
A top government official, who was privy to the fiscal document, summed the discoveries in the budget that shocked Buhari this way: “At the meeting, it was noticed that some very key aspects of the budget, which have to do with government’s core infrastructural focus, were removed. One of the projects is the subject of the President’s trip to China – the Lagos/ Calabar coastal railway project - for which a counterpart funding of N60bn 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 parts 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 by governments of China and Nigeria. It is one of the main reasons for the President’s scheduled trip to China.
“Also, the amount proposed for the completion of the Idu/Kaduna rail project which has reached an advanced stage, was reduced by N8.7bn, a development which will make it difficult for the project to be completed”.
The source added that another fundamental area noticed in the document was the completion of on-going road projects.
It was learnt that 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 which studies have not even been conducted.
The source lamented: “The amounts provided by the National Assembly for the projects can neither complete the on-going road projects nor the new ones proposed. At the end of the year, no progress would have been made”.
According to the source, a top Presidency official, allocations for the purchase of essential drugs for major health campaigns like polio and AIDS for which the store is fast depleting, were removed and the amounts allocated to provision of ambulance, which the health ministry did not ask for.
“It was also observed that 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 provisions of rural health facilities and boreholes, for which provisions have been made elsewhere,” the official said.
“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 added.
SHUO!!!!!
End time budget
ReplyDeleteNa serious end time budget.
DeleteDis Nass ppl Na end time mumu & imbecile full der.
Confusion galore
ReplyDeleteClueless govt
ReplyDeleteOh pls just shut up
DeleteI am certain you didn't read the article but instead wrote your comment based on the headline.
DeleteNo James, you are the clueless one, did you go through the write up? Major projects to diversify the economy were either expunged or reduced drastically , now for you and your likes who won't read(mental laziness a lot of young Nigerians have these days) and just dont see anything good about this govt, it shows who the real saboteurs are, it's not the president!
DeleteNa wa ooo
ReplyDeleteSerious ish
Let us hear what the senate have to say...
ReplyDeleteThey might have a different angle than the president..
Until then will I make my conclusions
In other news where do people see okpa to buy please?? I have been coming out to the main road just to look for them but no success
Your state and area please?
DeleteThe earlier the executive nd legislative arm of this administration reach an agreement on this our budget issue, the better it will be for Nigerians. God help us all.
ReplyDeleteAbeg buhari rest ur case
ReplyDeleteWait ooh.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Osibanjo Presiding over something like this? Or was the president equally present?
He can't be skipping important meetings like this,how else will he learn?
And btw,the Idu/Kaduna rail project that is near completion...Did it start with this administration? Who funded it to this point? I remember them meeting an empty treasury. I am getting confused.
Okay back to the budget itself. Those things that were removed by the senate is quite shocking. Are these men even having the interest of the common man at heart?
What will the poor man suffering from HIV do? We all know what the Polio Vaccine have done for us over the past 15years.
The provisions of the Agricultural sector should not even be tampered with. Why are they playing us like a tennis game?
I know our President is incensed with the idea of getting it right. He is daring to do things no Government have ever done in the recent years,which is scrutiny of the budget. He is doing this so that WE will benefit.
I think he should delegate some of these trips the way he delegates invites within Nigeria too. He needs to settle and get this budget thing over with already.
A nation as big as Nigeria cannot remain stagnant for months,almost everything depends on that budget for pete's sake. I hope the Presidency and Senate are not using us as a blackmail weapon. This is ludicrous!
His presence in nigeria will not make the budget pass any quicker, especially not while the senate insist on playing their games.
DeleteAnd just because the past administration initiated a project, that doesn't mean they paid for it. Buhari’s government had to pay the outstanding subsidy that the past administration hadn't paid in a year, this government had to use the NLNG funds to pay salaries of 27 of our 36 states, oustanding from the last administration and some for as long as 12 months and as we speak this government is collecting payments made to companies for literally doing nothing, all paid by the past administration
P.S: The National Assembly doesn't give a damn about any nigerian.
Anon. Thanks for disagreeing with me in such a mature,intelligent way. Breath of fresh air.
DeleteI referred to the previous project because I have started feeling like the past administration folded their hands and just watched on,you know.
If money was generated from NLNG and other avenues in this short notice,pumping it into that railway project should be the least on their minds. Which leads me to believe strongly that they have not put shi-shi into it. Yes! But If they did,oh menn,trust me we have intellectual,administrative problems in Aso rock.
The salaries? That one is another topic I don't wish to delve into... I totally agree with you,National Assembly do not give a damn about us, scratch that,Most of the Governors,even a lot of the politicians in this present ruling party do not care. Yep.
Well informed anonymous.
DeleteThis current national Assembly under the leadership of senator BUKOLA Saraki does not want positive change in this country. Our out cry means nothing to them but will shall overcome.
DeleteIphie, trust me that Osibajo is even better at presiding over the budget matter than the president. Osibajo is an experienced economist apart from being a lawyer. He's done similar with the lagos state government. Don't forget he's a technocrat, just like BRF.
DeleteNa real end time budget. Una never still finish dis budget matter ba.
ReplyDeleteClueless, shameless, snails.
Go school u nor gree,learn work u nor gree,marry u nor gree.u only know how to run your big ugly mouth on this blog.
DeleteAnon, Pele ti e. Not everyone is like u, OK? I go school and I go am well. Ur retarded brain won't even be able to pass d exams I passed to get into those schools.
DeleteSenate ar playing polite, they ar joking wit Nigerians. They should continue very soon we ll come out in mass to beat them up
ReplyDeleteHe should use the money he budgeted for food and the one he budgeted for discovering oil in Lake Chad to finance the budget. I smell a rat, from this man's camp. Hypocritical thief. He's hiding from us everything they slashed and im sure they did it to avoid borrowing which he wants to embark to impoverish the country. Stop playing to the gallery.
ReplyDeleteObviously you know little or nothing about governance. American is one of, if not the most indebted nation in the world, they also loaned a significant amount from China. Lagos, the state with the highest internally generated revenue in nigeria, has the largest debt profile. Basically borrowing isn't a bad thing, it all boils down to how it's used and if you bothered to read Kemi adeosuns explanation on the plans for the loan, you'll better understand that this is a fantastic deal for nigeria
DeleteWhy are they lamenting about the railway been removed and some reduced after all that is Amaechi,s part another way to compensate for his loss what a shame Buhari should also be senate president too now mcheew
ReplyDeleteAbeg o they should consider the lagos Calabar railway project. Its a very welcomed idea
ReplyDeleteJust check behind that big sign post just before the junction there's an okpa stand there...
ReplyDeleteBut really railways are not our immediate needs o jare..well what do I know
ReplyDeleteNothing
DeleteMy own concern is the roads.....the ones they have not completed are in very bad shape, they don't want to complete it, but they want to start new ones? Na wah for these assembly men o.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they remove the budget for polio eradication and arv's? The people troubling this country are many sha.
When it is not their own salaries and allowances, why won't they slash it. Depriving the masses of good things since 1800.
ReplyDeleteThis NASS has become a law unto itself! Whose interests are they really protecting cos it's certainly not the Nigerian people. I am sick and tired of the lot of them. They are just a useless scavenging bunch of people who are just constituting a nuisance to the progress of this country. No wonder they wanted PMB to sign the budget without seeing the details so they could get away with this rubbish.
ReplyDeleteYou have sense. They thought he would just sign it, then later blame him for unfinished projects.
DeleteDo this senators care about Nigerians at all? I can see the don't want this administration to make positive progress but God will shame them, it's time for us all to stand and fight for the future of out kids, we need to let this senators know they are representing us and not their selfish interest.
ReplyDeleteCorrect sabotage
DeleteDo this senators care about Nigerians at all? I can see the don't want this administration to make positive progress but God will shame them, it's time for us all to stand and fight for the future of out kids, we need to let this senators know they are representing us and not their selfish interest.
ReplyDeletePls do not tamper with the budget allocation for HIV,polio etc,these scheme is a life saver for a lot of people. Am not in the health sector but I know that people who have been on retroviral drug that will have to come off because they can't afford to continue may be faced with a fate worse than death. Pls do have a rethink as these diseases are highly transmissive, we have enough issues to contend with as it is.
ReplyDeleteThese senators need to locked up in a room and beaten Senseless..they are only after their pocket.
ReplyDeleteThese our lawmakers hv been our major problem since the inception of democracy.Soon,they will start singing Buhari MUST GO or GHANA MUST GO.
ReplyDelete