Wednesday 24 February 2016

Buhari: Budget in N/Assembly not what I presented

President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that the unauthorised alterations of the 2016 national budget has completely changed the document from the one he presented to the National Assembly.


President Buhari disclosed this in Riyadh late Tuesday night while addressing the Nigerian Community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Buhari condemned the distortion of the budget proposals by what he called "entrenched interests".


The president stated that throughout the periods he had served the country in the past, he had never heard about budget padding.



President Buhari, therefore, vowed that all those involved in the padding of the 2016 budget would face the most severe punishment.


He said: “The culprits will not go unpunished. I have been a military governor, petroleum minister, military Head of State and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund. Never had I heard the words “budget padding”.


Buhari acknowledged that the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, did a great job with his team.

According to the president, Udoma became almost half his size during the time, working night and day to get the budget ready.


The president said it was disappointing and embarrassing that some people padded the budget.

"Our Minister of Budget and National Planning did a great job with his team. The Minister became almost half his size during the time, working night and day to get the budget ready, only for some people to pad it.


“What he gave us was not what was finally being debated. It is very embarrassing and disappointing. We will not allow those who did it to go unpunished", the president vowed.


Buhari also assured that his government was working diligently to fulfil its campaign promises, particularly on security, unemployment and corruption.


He reiterated his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, saying the war against corruption was a monumental task he was determined to tackle successfully.


"We have zero tolerance for corruption and other unethical practices. We will deal decisively with anybody found wanting", the president said.


On his administration’s efforts towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria, Buhari said: "Our armed forces have done a great job of dealing decisively with Boko Haram. We are collaborating with our neighbours in the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force to handle security threats in the sub-region and we have significantly destroyed the capacity of the insurgents".


Speaking on the efforts towards diversifying the economy, the president said more opportunities were now open for local and foreign investors in the country.



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