Politics
2019 BUDGET: We won’t exchange words with Saraki —Minister Lai
The Federal Government has reacted to a statement credit to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki over the N8.83trn 2019 budget presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.
According to reports, Saraki, who is the Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, spoke in Abuja during an interactive session between the organisation and some Civil Society Organisations.
Saraki said the budget didn’t reflect hope that could create jobs or reduce the poverty rate in the country.
Saraki was quoted to have said, “Does he (Buhari) have the ability to create jobs for you the youths and create a booming economy? Yesterday (Wednesday), we all heard the 2019 budget; that is a budget that has no hope for anybody because if you look at the statistics and the figures there is poverty.”
Read also: ‘We’ve been able to meet all our promises to Nigerians’- Lai
But reacting to the statement, the Federal Government said the present economic reality made the government come up with “the best” it could present.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke on Friday after attending Juma’at service at the Presidential Villa Mosque.
He said, “It is not the practice of the Executive to be exchanging words with the Legislative arm of government; they are independent, we are independent.
“But, to the best of our knowledge, we presented a budget given the circumstances of our resources this year; we feel that (budget) is the best we can. It is left for the National Assembly to consider it.”
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