Budget padding more of media hype than reality – Senate

The Senate has described the allegations and counterallegations of the 2016 budget padding rocking the House of Representatives as more of media hype than reality. Senate Leader Mohammed Ndume, while addressing State House correspondents yesterday after praying Jumaat with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa mosque, said the legislature has the duty to add to, subtract from and adjust the Appropriation Bill.

He said the ongoing ripple in the House of Representatives was a fall-out between Speaker Yakubu Dogara and former Chairman of the Appropriation Committee Abdulmumun Jibrin.

The Senate leader said President Buhari signed the budget and its details because he was satisfied with the document transmitted to him by the National Assembly. He said: “…I don’t know where the issue of this budget padding we’re talking about is coming from. If we’re not to tinker with the budget as submitted by the president, then there wouldn’t have been the need to submit it to the National Assembly. We’ve the constitutional duty to add, subtract and adjust. That was what was done.”

“This is the first time we did a budget that was collectively produced in such a way that the Senate, the House of Representatives and the executive played different parts. This time, the president took his time to ensure that he did not only sign on the budget, but also signed on budget details that he’s satisfied with,” Ndume said.

He disclosed that he was personally involved in reaching out to the parties involved in the faceoff over the alleged budget scam in the House of Representatives.

The Senate leader also stated that with Buhari’s government’s commitment, the fight against Boko Haram was almost over. He, however, noted that there was currently another war, “that is fight against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Government is also bracing up to that. We’re crying out for help in the North-East, particularly in Borno.”