2016 Budget, A Big Fraud + Demand Apology From Buhari - Reps Members

The content of the 2016 budget proposals
submitted to the National Assembly by President
Muhammadu Buhari for passage has been
condemned and castigated as a monumental
fraud by some members of the House of
Representatives.
Some members of the parliament, mostly of the
opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at
the consideration of the money Bill on Thursday
openly expressed disgust with some proposals
as contained in the budget, which they said was
a poorly coordinated means of robbing the
nation.
They individually and collectively described the
corrected version of N6.07 trillion 2016 budget
proposal submitted to the House as fraud and
wasteful.
The lawmakers also asked President
Muhammadu Buhari to apologise to Nigerians
for the embarrassment the country suffered in
the eyes of the international community over the
alleged smuggling of 2016 budget in the
National Assembly.
Some members of the House who made known
their dissatisfaction with the budget during the
debate on the Appropriation Bill accused the
government of corruption.
Leading the pack while contribution on the floor
of the House, member representing Egor, Ikpoba,
Okha Federal Constituency of Edo State, Hon
Johnson Agbonayinma, said that he did not see
the first budget that was laid before the House
on 22nd December, 2015 by President Buhari.
He said that it was his right to know the
contents of the first budget document and the
second one and that the president should
apologise to the nation over the embarrassment
the alleged smuggling of the budget document
caused the country, adding that the budget had
made mockery of the country.
Although, he was interrupted by the Speaker,
Yakubu Dogara, who presided over the plenary
during the budget debate, Agbonayinma
contended that it was a 'monumental fraud' for
the president that was talking about cutting cost
of governance to earmarked about N800 million
just for website update in the villa.
He also wondered the rationale behind the
budgeting of N322,421,971 million just to link
cable from driver rest room to villa and another
N213,873,957 to link cable from guest house to
general house.
Speaking in an interview after the plenary, he
said he said, ''First of all I represent a
constituency, Egor, Ikpoba, Okha Federal
Constituency of Edo State and if you go around
you see a lot of youth unemployed.
''In the 21st century in a nation where you are
talking about economic crunch you are now
budgeting about 800 million, precisely 780
million to upgrade website.
''To me, that is monumental fraud that is
deceit, I want Nigerians to see the light of day I
want democracy to be sustainable, however we
must have Nigeria's interest at heart and
embrace it.
''Until we engage ourselves, adhering to the
three principal tenets of democratic doctrine,
that is participation, loyalty and commitment to
your dear nation, it’s not just speaking it, we
must act, we must adhere to it in putting
Nigerian first.This budget should speak for
Nigerians not for certain individuals.
''There is no where on earth that you are
upgrading a website and you are using seven
hundred and ninety something million? That is
almost a billion.
''He is our president so he should apologise
because the embarrassing major TV station,
CNN, Aljazera talking about Nigerians
castigating us, that nothing is impossible in
Nigeria. Certain good can come out of Nigeria.''
Also commenting on the budget, Hon Julius
Pondi representing Burutu Federal Constituency
of Delta State said the 2016 budget would not
be realistic even as he described it as not being
friendly.
Pondi wondered why the government should
budget N4 billion on Aso Rock clinic even when
the few privileged Nigerians working there
always travelled out for medical treatment.
Hon Segun Adekola said that the federal
government should have included the recovered
funds as funding window in the budget.
He said, ''Everyday we hear that money money is
being recovered, this should be part of the
funding of the budget.”
It was gathered that the sum of N3,889,015
billion was budgeted for the purchase of motor
vehicles in the first budget presented by Buhari,
but the amount was reduced to N340 million in
the corrected version, while the sum of
N3,914,197,062 which was not in the first
budget document was now brought in the new
one for annual maintenance of villa facilities.
Besides, the sum of N228,605 million for
sourcing and purchasing of equipment (purchase
and importation which was not in the first
budget presented was contained on the
corrected version