N’Assembly: Fashola’s Statement on 2017 Budget Misleading, Fallacious

Daji Sani in Yola

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, has frowned on the statement credited to the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, regarding the National Assembly adding some projects not included in the initial 2017 Appropriation Bill submitted to it.

Speaking with journalists in Yola Saturday, Namdas described Fashola’s statement as misleading and fallacious.

Namdas said the National Assembly would have ignored Fashola’s statement, but for the need to set the records straight and correct fundamental inaccuracies contained therein.

He said: “Fashola claimed that the National Assembly included many projects that were not agreed on during the budget defence before the committees; that the budget on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced from N31 billion to N10 billion; that the 2nd Niger Bridge budget was reduced from N15 billion to N10 billion (actually N12b to N7b); that about N3 billion or so was removed from Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Road; that the Budget for Mambila Power Project was also cut.

“He further claimed that some of the roads introduced into the budget had no designs and that items like primary healthcare and boreholes were introduced into the budget of the ministry which are state matters. Mr. Fashola further said that the National Assembly has no powers to increase or tinker with the budget.”

Details later…