Akpabio Commends 9th Assembly for Returning Nigeria to Predictable Budget Cycle
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) anointed candidate for the position of Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio has disclosed that one of the legacies of the ninth Assembly, he would love to continue with would be the January to December budget cycle.
Akpabio, who is soliciting support from all his colleagues in his quest to lead the 10th Senate of the National Assembly, next month, disclosed that he was supportive of the January to December budget cycle because the system apart from given stability ensures proper planning and implementation of government programs and policies.
He spoke with journalists in Abuja, over his Senate President ambition and the need for effective legislation.
“If given the opportunity by my colleagues to lead the 10th Assembly, one of the programmes I will like to sustain would be the January to December budget cycle.
“The introduction of that is what I commend the ninth National Assembly for very seriously, because it allows for proper planning and it allows the government to take off on a good note and also help bring about foreign direct investment into the country”, he said.
Akpabio urged the 10th Assembly to sustain the programme, “whether I am senate President or not,” adding that he had been prepared to work with his colleagues to sustain it, “because it is a collective system”.
He also said he would continue to engage with all his colleagues in pursuit of his ambition noting that, “everybody is important.”
“Then on the issue of whether somebody is supportive or not, no, that is not the issue. The issue is that we must continue to engage. God has put us together for the next four years.
“We must continue to speak to people so that whatever perception that people have that are really not correct about me will be totally debunked.
“I still do know that I have not changed in any way. I am somebody God has given the opportunity to be an uncommon transformer wherever I go.
“I will not like to be judged by ministerial appointment in NDDC, which everybody knows is a problematic place. But I would like to be judged by my record as a lawyer of 36 years, commissioner of six years and a governor of eight years”, he added.
