National Assembly said its adjustment to the 2018 Appropriation Bill, was to address geo-political imbalances in the financial document. It blames Chief Executives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, especially the Budget Office and the Finance Ministry, for not briefing President Muhammadu Buhari appropriately, on the efforts by the parliament, to redress the seeming lopsidedness in the budget.
National Assembly Correspondent, Joke Adisa, reports that the controversy stirred by President Muhammadu’s tirade at the National Assembly for allegedly distorting the 2018 budget estimates is still raging.
Both chambers of the parliament are united in their response to what they said is an attempt to rubbish their good works on the N9.12trn budget, that is about $25 bn, passed in May and assented to by Buhari on Wednesday.
At a joint news conference by the Spokespersons of both chambers insist that the National Assembly has the constitutional responsibility to modify and amend budget estimates brought before it.
The Parliament said the adjustments were made in the interest of equity, fairness and justice
They also explain the cuts they made in the budget estimates meant for four thousand and seven hundred projects amounting to N347bn why there was need to the jerk up in the National Assembly budget.
The National Assembly insists there is no existing contract for the second Niger bridge in spite of frequent requests for it. It said the N900m reduced from the N10bn proposed by the Executive was deployed to fund ancillary roads that connect the bridge.
President Buhari on Wednesday had lamented that the 2018 Appropriation Act, which he signed into law would be difficult, if not impossible to implement as a result of the alterations by the federal parliament.
