Excerpt Of Tweets By The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on<\/p>\n
Appropriation Via His\u00a0 @AbdulAbmJ On The Budget<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I actually find it shocking that even some National Dailies made the<\/p>\n
removal their headlines. A little research would would have helped.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lagos-Calabar Railway line was NEVER captured in the budget that was sent<\/p>\n
by the Executive. How then could it have been removed by NASS?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
All they, and those spreading the false information needed to have done is<\/p>\n
check the initial document sent by the Executive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lagos-Calabar Rail was never included. How could NASS have removed what<\/p>\n
was not there? But the nation is being misled.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The NASS has always been on the receiving end of bad press. This is being<\/p>\n
capitalised on in the conversations on #Budget2016<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This is unfortunate as it is quite clear to all and sundry that<\/p>\n
#Budget2016 and all its headaches and controversies didn’t emanate from<\/p>\n
NASS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Take the budget of the ministry of Transportation was overshot by N54b.<\/p>\n
That is, by the time you add up the items on the ministry’s budget..<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You’d still have a gap of N54b. N54billion lying there without being<\/p>\n
allocated. NASS has a responsibility and here it did the right thing<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What NASS did with the N54billion; We added N39.7b to the Lagos-Kano Rail<\/p>\n
project. This will help complete the project once and for all.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We also allocated N10b of this sum to the airport’s navigation and<\/p>\n
security apparatus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We often make so much noise about airport security after major plane<\/p>\n
crashes. But we need not wait for crashes to enhance safety at airports<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We allocated the balance to Baro Ports for its completion and equipping.<\/p>\n
Baro Port is strategic to our economic development.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Much ado about vaccines that weren’t even there. The budget of the<\/p>\n
ministry of Health was the most controversial.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Minister of Health came to deny the document that was presented to the<\/p>\n
NASS by the Executive for the 2nd time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There is a lot more to be said about this and they will be said in the<\/p>\n
coming days.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I saw reports saying NASS allocated too much for Rural projects including<\/p>\n
rural roads,\u00a0 primary health care, empowerment programmes…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
we also allocated funding for rural solar street lights, vocational<\/p>\n
centres, cottage industries etc. On this one, there is no going back.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nigeria isn’t just for urban dwellers & as representatives of the<\/p>\n
people, ours is to ensure justice in the distribution of national wealth.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
About 95% of the input of NASS which would have given life to the policy<\/p>\n
thrust of Mr. President were discarded by the Executive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some of these inputs include; Special Intervention for the Solid Mineral<\/p>\n
Sector. This is even imperative seeing the realities around oil.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some of our other inputs include; Special Intervention for Rural<\/p>\n
Agriculture, Payment of Pension Arrears. Rural Community Light project.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Rural Community Light project to light up 100 communities spread<\/p>\n
across the 774 Local Governments.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We also had Special Programmes for Women Empowerment and the payment of<\/p>\n
debt owed local contractors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We also suggested N100b be taken out of N500b set aside as Special<\/p>\n
Intervention Fund.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That N50b be set aside as special bursary for students of tertiary<\/p>\n
institutions and another N50b for special training on Entrepreneurship for<\/p>\n
students of tertiary institutions pre-graduation. These were our inputs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These are my preliminary submissions seeing as there have been no official<\/p>\n
communication between the Executive and the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These points are being noted because of the reports in some of today’s<\/p>\n
papers -who really would have done better with a little more research<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Not to mention the fact that the Executive has not come out to disown the<\/p>\n
false reports flying around.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We will come up with a comprehensive position especially with respect to<\/p>\n
our observation of the budget and what we did to make it better.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The crux of the matter as it is, is that while the NASS believes in the<\/p>\n
bottom up agenda for development- focus on rural areas & communities<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Executive seems to favour a top-down approach. But this is not enough<\/p>\n
reason to mislead Nigerians on the role of NASS on the budget.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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