Anti-Budget Padding Protesters Storm N’Assembly
Hundreds of protesters under the auspices of Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN) yesterday stormed the National Assembly as it resumed sitting.
The protesters carrying placards blocked the entrance of the National Assembly with a lorry as early as 9.30a.m. thereby denying both the lawmakers and workers access to the National Assembly premises.
The protesters made up mainly of youths of both sexes sang solidarity songs and carried placards questioning the rationale of the National Assembly leadership and members to pad the 2018 budget with constituency projects.
The placards read: ‘Constituency project is now corrupted, it must be formatted’; ‘Are you for the people and constituency or are you for the projects and contracts’; ‘Insertion of thousands of projects in the budget is tantamount to hijacking of the budget’.
The National Convener of CATBAN, Ibrahim Wala, told journalists that his group was worried about the padding of this year’s federal budget through the insertion of constituency projects by the legislators.
He wondered why the National Assembly continues to use the budget as their conduit pipe to siphon people’s resources.
Wala therefore called for the resignation of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, “as they have shown that they lack the requisite credibility and moral capacity to hold those positions of authority.”
The protesters who were given enough security backing by armed policemen, were later dispatched with teargas by the same policemen when some of the protesters attempted scaling the gate that was kept under lock and key by the National Assembly security unit.
The protest ignited immediate debate from the senators and was the first issue to be discussed at plenary yesterday after a close- door session that lasted from 11a.m. to 11.55a.m.
Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North East) opened the floodgate of discussions when he said those who organised the protest were ignorant of the basis for inserting constituency projects in the budget.
According to him, introduction of constituency projects made it easier for federal projects to reach every nook and cranny of the country.
This step, he said, ensured that projects are located in all constituencies across the country.
“This noble idea made it easier for legislators to reach out to their constituents with prove that projects are sited in their areas
Gemade added that constituency projects don’t enrich the pockets of lawmakers, saying: “We don’t even know the contractors so why this unnecessary protest.”